House Cuts FDA Budget by $285 Million!

Alliance for Natural Health ^ | June 21, 2011

[Sopater]

And with that budget hit, the so-called “food safety” law can’t be implemented—and no money to approve Frankenfish! This is huge!

Last week the House of Representatives passed the agriculture funding bill for fiscal year 2012, and the bill included a gigantic cut in FDA’s budget. This is particularly significant because they were tasked with implementing most of the provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act that Congress passed last year.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the cost of implementing the Food Safety act would be $1.4 billion over five years. The whopping $285 million budget cut makes it likely that many of the enforcement and oversight provisions of the act will not be implemented. FDA told an industry publication just before the vote that if the House funding cuts were approved, there will be a “significant delay in implementation of the new Food Safety Modernization Act (including the law’s nineteen priority areas, especially import oversight, training, and inspections).”

Before final passage of the agriculture funding bill, the House approved an amendment by Rep. Don Young (R-AK) to prohibit the FDA from spending money to approve an application for the controversial genetically engineered salmon.

Now the funding bill moves on to the Senate. ANH-USA will work hard to make sure the GE salmon amendment stays in place. If it passes in the Senate as well, FDA will not be allowed to use its funds in FY2012 to approve genetically engineered salmon. This is a big win!

[Sopater]

Can I get a "BOOYAH!"?

[IbJensen]

Not enough. Now abolish Education, epa and a host of other programs!

[Lancey Howard]

House Cuts FDA Budget by $285 Million!

How many minutes will it take the US to accumulate that much new debt at the rate the nation is borrowing?

[kennedy]

Unfortunately, it is just for show.

The funding will be fully restored (if not increased) in the Senate version and when it goes to the conference committee the RINOs will cave.

[Sopater]

Not enough. Now abolish Education, epa and a host of other programs!

Certainly not. It's only a baby step. We have a very long way to go.

[lurk]

We need a 50% cut of all Fed agency funding, just as an across-the-board action. Then eliminate the pernicious, bloated ones, education, EPA, State Dept.

[ransacked]

Oh, this is wonderful news and makes my day!

[C210N]

Now the funding bill moves on to the Senate...

Do I understand correctly if I say that if the Senate approves this bill, then its a $285M budget cut and if the Senate does not approve, then its a $1.4B budget cut?

[shield]

Nice....

[DAC21]

You know people will die because of this, either bad drugs will get approved. or good drugs will be slow to market. How do I know? Because Nancy Belagosie will tell us on every Alphabet News channel tonight.

[Buckeye McFrog]

E Coli will mysteriously turn up at some hamburger drive thru out in South Succotash someplace, the media will decry GOP austerity and they will all turn tail and run for the hills.

[ransacked]

No. The $285M cut inhibits the $1.4 billion to be implemented over the next five years.

[C210N]

That’s too bad... sounds like advantage to the ‘rats, as neither Reed (sic) nor zer0 will be inclined to go along.

[jospehm20]

I think they should eliminate BATFE ASAP.

[goodwithagun]

The great thing about that is that there are laws to protect the companies that produce the e. coli laden food! Imagine what would happen to the occurrence of e. coli, salmonella, etc., if we were a capitalist country and private citizens could sue when contaminated products where sold as safe to consume. We would not need the bloated FDA!

[Sopater]

Do I understand correctly if I say that if the Senate approves this bill, then its a $285M budget cut and if the Senate does not approve, then its a $1.4B budget cut?

That's an interesting perspective and I'm not sure of the answer. That depends on how it is handled if it is not passed. Will the FDA go on to spend the $1.4B without the bill or will they not be able to spend anything? I expect that if the bill does not pass, then there will be another one to follow.

[rottndog]

...FDA will not be allowed to use its funds in FY2012 to approve genetically engineered salmon.

And the problem with GM salmon is.....

[Buckeye McFrog]

fifty years of propaganda that these agencies “keep us safe” has certainly done its damage

[zerosix]

285 Billion would show a half-hearted beginning for me.

I don't trust any of those weasels to do anything but tinker around the edges for show to have the miserable MSM be "shocked at the GOP, starving the poor, women and children hurt the most!"

It's called "electioneering" and runs heavily this time of year.

[dalereed]

instead of cutting the budget, eleminate the FDA!