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# Senate Dems Concerned About FDA Product Review Lag
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/senate-dems-concerned-about-fda-product-review-lag/
- Published: 2019-01-14T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T00:54:07.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: FDA Policy/General, #legacy-id-D5143147

Concerned that the partial government shutdown affecting FDA will have lingering effects over the course of the year impacting medical product reviews/approvals and its oversight of the food supply, a group of 34 Senate Democrats have sent a letter to commissioner **Scott Gottlieb** requesting information on the potential damage to the agency.

“While we appreciate the efforts of the agency and the tireless work of your staff to help mitigate the impact of the shutdown on the public health, we remain deeply concerned about the halt of vital regulatory and compliance activities at FDA,” [says the letter](https://www.help.senate.gov/ranking/newsroom/press/murray-and-33-democratic-colleagues-investigate-shutdowns-impact-on-safety-of-nations-food-supply-and-approval-of-medical-products?ref=fdaweb.com) from the group led by Senator **Patty Murray** (D-WA). “FDA plays a crucial role in ensuring the health and safety of families across the country, and it’s important we fully understand how the ongoing shutdown has impacted its ability to fulfill that role.”

The senators’ letter requests information on how FDA is reducing oversight of food facilities, how medical device approval might be hindered, and whether the agency is taking steps to address the financial hardships of furloughed employees. “During the shutdown,” it says, “FDA is legally prohibited from accepting new submissions that require industry user fee payments, which support the review and approval of applications for innovative new prescription drugs, generic drugs, and medical devices. As a result, the agency will likely receive a large influx of applications from drug and device makers following the conclusion of the shutdown, requiring the agency to triage review activities and probably causing a backlog in the approval process.”

The senators asked Gottlieb to respond by 1/18.