FDA Funding to be Covered by Continuing Resolution

Congress failed to secure passage of an FDA spending bill last week and it is looking very likely that the agency’s funding will be covered by a Continuing Resolution (CR) until 12/7, according to an analysis by the Alliance for a Stronger FDA. “Under the CR, FDA is largely limited to continuation of activities that were part of the FY 18 FDA budget/workplan,” the group says. “This would constrain FDA’s ability to start and continue new programs, including those for which money is likely to be included in the FY 19 appropriation. In practice, there is some leeway, but the agency has to be able to justify its spending decisions against the metric that a CR, quite literally, provides for continuation of programs and not more.” The Alliance notes that there is a possibility that Congress will be ready to vote on FDA’s appropriation bill when they return in November.