Home Media Center News Releases

A Senate committee has recognized the important role of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by providing more resources to fulfill its critical mission, said the leader of the nation’s largest independent federal employees union.

“FDA employees assure that our food supply is protected and that drugs, vaccines and medical devices are safe and effective,” said Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). “Without proper resources, these dedicated employees cannot do their jobs and an important safety net for the American public begins to weaken. The Senate committee realizes this and provided improved funding during this time of fiscal austerity.”

Under the leadership of Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), and Subcommittee Ranking Minority Member Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed a fiscal 2012 FDA budget that would increase by about $50 million over a 2011 level of $2.447 billion. That is approximately $335 million above the 2012 levels proposed by the House of Representatives. Most of the additional funds proposed by the Senate would be to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act, adopted by Congress in December.

“We must continue to make the FDA a national priority,” Kelley said. “Without sufficient resources, products will go untested, medical advances will be lost, and the American people will face greater risks with every bite they eat and every pill they take.”

Kelley noted that the agency has been chronically underfunded for years, and she called on the House to join with the Senate and support sufficient resources for the FDA and its vital mission.

Long an advocate for adequate funding at the FDA, NTEU has consistently worked with an array of groups interested in public health and food safety issues.

NTEU represents more than 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments, including more than 5,000 in the FDA.