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# House Hearing Previews Debate Over FDA Modernization, User Fees
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/house-hearing-previews-debate-over-fda-modernization-user-fees/
- Published: 2026-07-15T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T13:42:57.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5161459

Republican and Democrat leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee revealed differing views over whether the Trump administration's policies are strengthening or undermining the nation's drug development enterprise. The opposing views emerged during opening statements at a hearing examining FDA's role in maintaining U.S. competitiveness ahead of next year's reauthorization of the agency's user fee programs ([see related story](https://fdaweb.com/login.php?sa=v&aid=D5161458&cate=&stid=%241%24mw..1G4.%24aMMUE6Y7QVfqboYSen38p%2F&ref=fdaweb.com)).

Subcommittee chairman **Morgan Griffith** (R-VA) said Congress should use the hearing to identify ways to improve the efficiency of drug development while preserving FDA's rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness. "The United States has always been the global leader in biopharmaceutical research and development," Griffith said. "However, other countries are catching up."

Griffith also framed the hearing as an early step in preparing for the 2027 reauthorization of FDA's user fee agreements, which provide much of the agency's review funding through fees paid by pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. "For more than three decades, user fee programs have helped provide FDA with the resources to review innovative drugs and medical devices while maintaining the agency's rigorous standards," he said.

He argued that reauthorization should extend beyond simply renewing existing programs and instead provide an opportunity for Congress to further streamline regulatory processes, modernize clinical trial networks, improve communication between FDA and industry, and expand access to clinical research in rural communities. "Maintaining America's position as the global leader in biomedical innovation requires a regulatory system that is both thorough and efficient," Griffith said.

Ranking member **Frank Pallone Jr.** (D-NJ) agreed that preserving U.S. leadership in drug development is critical but argued that recent actions by the Trump administration threaten that position. Pallone credited decades of collaboration among FDA, NIH and the biopharmaceutical industry for establishing the U.S. as the global leader in biomedical innovation.

However, he said cuts to federally funded research and staffing reductions across public health agencies have weakened the scientific infrastructure that supports new drug development. "The Administration's actions threaten availability of new cures for American patients," Pallone said. He criticized what he described as billions of dollars in congressionally approved research funding that had been eliminated, arguing that reduced NIH support will ultimately slow the pipeline of new medicines reaching FDA.

Citing Congressional Budget Office estimates, Pallone said a 10% reduction in NIH funding could result in 20 fewer drugs being approved over a decade. Pallone also questioned workforce reductions at FDA carried out during the Trump administration, saying the agency continues to face uncertainty over staffing levels despite subsequent rehiring efforts.

He said he has sought additional information from FDA regarding employee layoffs and [questioned](https://www.fdaweb.com/pallone-asks-gao-to-analyze-rif-impact-on-user-fees/) whether user fee revenues have been spent appropriately, noting he recently asked the Government Accountability Office to review the issue ahead of next year's user fee negotiations.

While Griffith highlighted Operation Trialblazer as evidence the administration is working to strengthen U.S. competitiveness, Pallone argued that funding cuts and staff departures risk accelerating the migration of biomedical research and innovation to competing countries, particularly China.

Despite their disagreements, both lawmakers said the upcoming user fee reauthorization provides Congress with an opportunity to examine how FDA can continue supporting innovation while ensuring patients receive timely access to safe and effective therapies.