NEWS RELEASE

Committee on Energy and Commerce
Rep. John D. Dingell, Chairman

Dingell on Administration’s Budget Request for FDA

Washington, DC – Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI), the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, issued the following statement in response to the Administration’s decision to amend its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2009 to include an additional $275 million for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

On Thursday, June 12, at 10:00 a.m., the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing to examine the FDA’s food protection plan and assess when it will be fully funded and implemented. The hearing will also explore FDA’s most recent warning linking tomatoes to salmonella. Prior to the hearing, the Subcommittee will hold a business meeting at 9:45 a.m. to vote on the issuance of subpoenas for records in connection with the Subcommittee’s ongoing investigation regarding the safety of the nation’s food supply.

“Though it’s taken an inexcusably long time, I’m glad to see the Administration is finally acknowledging that FDA lacks the resources necessary to protect the public health. Unfortunately, the Administration's proposed funding increase falls $100 million short of the amount FDA's own advisory board determined is needed to ensure the safety of our food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. My Committee has held more than a dozen hearings in the past seventeen months on the safety of imported food, drugs and devices. It’s clear that FDA’s infrastructure has not kept up with the global marketplace. The Agency is in urgent need of a major overhaul, which is exactly what my forthcoming legislative proposal will accomplish.”

“In April, my colleagues and I proposed draft legislation outlining the broad changes needed to improve the safety of domestic and imported food, drugs and devices. This proposal would give FDA the resources and authority necessary to protect American consumers. I look forward to working with Mr. Barton and other Committee Members to bring a comprehensive, bipartisan bill forward as soon as possible.”

On April 17, 2008, Dingell joined Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, and Rep. Bart Stupak, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, in releasing draft legislation designed to ensure the safety of food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics. The discussion draft and accompanying memo is available on the Committee on Energy and Commerce website: http://energycommerce.house.gov.

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