Advocacy group asks Congress for $377M increase in funds for the FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs more funding to strengthen its regulatory authority and speed up approval operations, a nonprofit advocacy group said in a letter sent to Congress.
In its message, the Alliance for a Stronger FDA—which represents over 150 patient and consumer advocacy organizations—urged Congress to increase the budget of the agency by $377 million. The increase is necessary to pay salaries and cover the FDA’s ballooning operational expenses.
The fiscal year budget for the FDA was lower than expected, and lower than President Biden wanted, the Alliance said in a statement sent to Health *Exec.
“FDA’s mission continues to grow, and its vital activities have become more complex and require greater sophistication and expertise,” Tom Kraus, president of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA said in the statement. “The cutbacks in FY 24 funding are unfortunate. A second year without increased funding will challenge FDA’s ability to meet its responsibilities using the best-trained scientists and the most effective tools and technologies.”
The Alliance’s recommendation for an increase would apply to 2025, and is in line with what Biden requested from Congress for 2024. The funding increase would not only aid in the FDA's oversight of drugs, healthcare-related technologies, and medical devices, but also the food supply.
“Food safety and nutrition remain areas of underinvestment and need relative to the FDA’s responsibility for nearly 80% of the U.S. food supply,” Sarah Sorscher, secretary-treasurer and director of regulatory affairs at the alliance said in the statement.
The alliance’s request for fund allocation is aimed to address “areas of current concern to consumers: food chemical safety; a smooth rollout of new standards for food safety; increased coordination among federal, state and local food regulators; creating a nutrition center of excellence; and developing tools to improve risk-based oversight and surveillance activities in both human foods and animal food and drugs,” Sorscher added.
While funding for the FDA increased by 10% between 2023 and 2024, that does not outweigh the rise in operational costs, ultimately resulting in a decrease in federal funding, the Alliance said.
User fees from the companies the FDA regulates remain its primary source of funding, with dollars from the federal government making up less than half of the organization’s total budget.
The FDA has been allocated a total budget of $7.2 billion for 2024, $3.3 billion of which will come from user fees.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.