FDA Funding Bill Advances in the House

An appropriations bill that would provide $5.2 billion for the FDA in fiscal 2018 got the nod from a House subcommittee Wednesday, bucking the White House’s spending request and giving the agency a slight spending increase for next year.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies reported the bill favorably to the full committee with a voice vote.

The proposed fiscal 2018 FDA spending plan mostly maintains current funding levels, coming in about $490 million higher than fiscal 2017 projections, including user fee increases, fairing far better than some agencies in an appropriations bill that has to manage an overall cut of 5 percent, or $1.1 billion, from all the agencies and programs it oversees.