April 23, 2013 by
Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), faced questioning on many topics when she testified before the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, the FDA and Related Agencies, a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee on April 18, 2013. In her initial testimony, Dr. Hamburg noted that 20 cents of every dollar American consumers spend goes for products regulated by the FDA and referred to the FDA as “a true bargain” and “a smart investment” for taxpayers.
Dr. Hamburg described the agency’s increased responsibilities that have resulted from the FDA Safety and Innovation Act (P.L. 112-144), the Food Safety Modernization Act (P.L. 111-353), and other legislation. She also said that the agency had to address the increasing proportion of the nation’s supply of food and drugs that are imported.
Asked about the effects of the sequester on the agency’s ability to accomplish its mission, Dr. Hamburg said that it had lost $83 million in user fees and $126 million in budget authority. No furloughs had been necessary because the FDA had not filled all the positions it had been authorized. She stressed the importance of getting back the user fees because they had been negotiated with the industry with the understanding that they would fund FDA operations.
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