House Committee Moves FDA $184 Budget Boost Forward

The House Appropriations Committee has marked-up and passed the fiscal year 2020 Agriculture/FDA appropriations bill that would provide the agency with an increase in budget authority of 6% ($184 million) over 2019 levels. A House combined press release and statement said: “The FDA receives a total of $3.26 billion in discretionary funding in the bill, $184 million above the 2019 enacted level. Total funding for the FDA, including revenue from user fees, is $5.86 billion.”

The Alliance for a Stronger FDA praised the increase, adding that it “represents a substantial investment in the agency’s growing mission and importance.” The Alliance says the measure is expected to be taken up on the House floor sometime later in June, probably as part of a mini-bus bill that includes funding of several agencies. And the Senate could take up the FDA budget request in the next few weeks, it says.