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The House's fiscal 2025 Agriculture-FDA bill doesn't include a contentious abortion pill rider and would keep funding for the agency almost flat.
Why it matters: Last year's version of the spending bill failed on the floor due to skirmishing over abortion policies as well as funding levels in areas outside FDA.
Zoom in: This year's version, released Monday evening, would fund the FDA at $6.75 billion.
- The FDA's FY24 funding level was $6.72 billion.
- The overall bill's funding allocation is set at $25.9 billion, which is a 1.35% reduction from last year, per House GOP appropriators.
- Those cuts are aimed at the Department of Agriculture and certain programs within it.
Between the lines: The abortion pill provision, which was included in last year's bill, would have reversed FDA rules around dispensing the widely used drug mifepristone via mail and at retail pharmacies.
- The decision not to include similar language may bring more support from moderate GOP members, though committee Democrats have already come out against the bill over funding levels.
What's next: The Ag-FDA subcommittee is holding their mark-up of the bill tomorrow night at 6 p.m.
