It’s that time of year when agency and department heads appear before Congressional committees to discuss their budget requests. For FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. that means justifying FDA’s 2023 food safety and nutrition budgets after deficiencies in those programs were called out by Politico, a national news
Continue Reading $76 million more for food safety sought by FDA Commissioner Califf
Editor’s note: The Alliance for a Stronger FDA recently offered this analysis of the Food and Drug Administration’s FY 2021 funding.
The current fiscal year (FY) 2021 Continuing Resolution runs through Dec. 11. So either (1) action on funding bills will be completed by that date, (2) another short
Continue Reading Continuing funding for FDA complicated by congressional options
Tomorrow some of the fuzzy math related to the government’s operational status will come into clear focus for many so called non-essential federal employees when they don’t get paid.
Nuances of federal funding mean some administrators and employees have been and will continue to work and will continue to
Continue Reading Beach Beat: Is food safety essential to public safety? Good question
Here’s the situation regarding food safety on Day 13 of the partial government shutdown: As yet, there are no worries.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are operating because their budgets went through the regular appropriations process. Also, there are the about 2,700 state and local health departments
Continue Reading Crucial federal food safety inspections, recalls, investigations continue despite partial shutdown of government
In just the past few months, outbreaks involving romaine lettuce, pre-cut melons and Honey Smacks cereal have reminded us that the work to more effectively prevent foodborne illness is far from complete. People are still getting sick and dying, and markets are still being disrupted. Make no mistake, the commitment
Continue Reading Unfinished business: Keeping the focus on food safety
The Alliance for a Stronger FDA — which unites consumers, patient groups and industry in advocating for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) funding — Wednesday thanked the U.S. House appropriators for moving legislation forward that would provide a significant funding increase for the FDA.
The added funds would enable FDA
Continue Reading House bill would boost FDA funding to more than $300 million
With the ban on USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service spending any federal money on equine inspections set to expire Sept. 30, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are divided over whether to extend it.
The last time a horse was legally slaughtered for human consumption in the U.S.
Continue Reading Appropriation Committees split over ban on equine inspections
Editor’s note: This was originally published May 26, 2017, on the website of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA. The alliance is committed to an ongoing, multi-year effort with two specific goals — to assure that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has sufficient resources to protect patients and
Continue Reading Trump’s budget — Does FDA get a 9% increase or 31% cut?
President Trump may have proposed a “skinny budget” for most domestic spending, including food and agricultural program for the next fiscal year, but nobody is taking it seriously. Congress always reacts to presidential budgets with the same three words: “Dead on Arrival.”
For more serious guide posts, it’s always better
Continue Reading States need $100M more for Food Safety Modernization Act
Editor’s note: This column includes information from an “Advocacy at a Glance” posting by the Alliance for a Stronger FDA and analysis and commentary by Steven Grossman, deputy executive director of the alliance, both republished here with permission.
President Donald Trump is proposing shifting $54 billion from domestic to defense
Continue Reading More money for military defense means less for food defense
