The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY 2012 appropriations bill on May 24. The Subcommittee proposed cutting FDA’s budget by $285 million, an 11.5% cut below its FY 2011 funding level. This drastic cut puts the FDA’s FY 2012 budget below its FY 2010 level and is more than $500 million below that President Obama had requested for FY 2012. Each activity area within FDA received roughly proportional cuts in the House subcommittee bill.
The possible decrease in appropriations by $285 million is accompanied by a $288 million increase in user fees. But given the restricted activities that user fees can be spent, the increase in user fees does not justify the cut to FDA’s appropriated amount.
In response to the Subcommittee’s action, ASPET sent a letter to House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY) strongly opposing the subcommittee’s proposed cuts to FDA.