FDAmoney_406The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year 2016 on Thursday after discussing a handful of amendments. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) proposed an amendment to increase the funding allocated for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), but it was ultimately voted down. This came
Continue Reading Amendment to Increase FSMA Funding Fails in Committee

The Senate’s FY 2016 agriculture appropriations bill has received subcommittee approval and will be considered by the full appropriations committee on Thursday. The bill includes a $45-million increase for the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety activities. Although $3.5 million more than the House allocation, the increase is still
Continue Reading Senate Ag Appropriations Bill Heads to Full Committee

Many questions directed at outgoing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg during a Senate budget hearing on Thursday concerned funding for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and details of the law’s rules. The agency’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2016 asks for a total of $1.5 billion
Continue Reading Hamburg Tells Senate Budget Committee FSMA Funding Needed to Fill ‘Significant’ Gaps

Two amendments added to the Senate agriculture appropriations bill on Thursday deal with horse slaughter and genetically modified salmon. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) introduced an amendment during the full committee markup that would ban horse slaughter, calling it both a health and a budget issue. “We should not be
Continue Reading Senate Committee Approves Amendments Banning Horse Slaughter, Labeling GE Salmon

The Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday approved a $22 million bump in discretionary funding for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for fiscal year 2013, giving the agency $2.54 billion.

senatebill-iphone.jpgOf the increase, $12.5 million is designated specifically for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act, according to a summary released

Continue Reading Senate Committee Seeks $22 Million Boost for FDA