Sen. Patty Murray (left) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin at a May hearing. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a bill Thursday that would give the FDA a $20 million funding increase in fiscal year 2024.
Why it matters: That’s in contrast to the House version, which would keep 2024 FDA funding roughly the same as fiscal 2023 levels.
- The Senate committee approved its bill unanimously Thursday, while the House committee vote last week was divided along party lines.
What they’re saying: “We must ensure this agency continues to protect the safety and reliability of our nation’s food systems and medicines,” said Sen. Martin Heinrich, chair of the subcommittee dealing with FDA funding.
Of note: The committee also advanced 302(b) allocations for each appropriations bill, with a $195.32 billion topline for Labor-HHS.
- By comparison, the fiscal 2023 omnibus provided Labor-HHS with $207.37 billion in base discretionary funding.
- The House Appropriations Committee gave Labor-HHS $147.09 billion in base budget authority for discretionary spending.
- “This is not an agreement that I would have made,” Appropriations Chair Patty Murray said during the markup. “But we have a critical job to do as appropriators and as members of Congress, and I am determined to get it done, and I know vice chair [Susan] Collins is, too.”
1 groundbreaking thing: Thursday's Senate Appropriations markup was the first one ever led by two women, according to the committee.
