BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

Reps. continue to work on exempting user fees from sequestration

June 15, 2013 1:42 AM UTC

Lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee are continuing to work to exempt future FDA user fees from sequestration, but in the meantime the committee voted to send to the full U.S. House of Representatives a FY14 appropriations bill that would give FDA $4.3 billion in total funding. A spokesperson for Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) said the Congressman agreed during a markup of that bill to withdraw an amendment that would have exempted future FDA user fees from sequestration at the request of committee Chair Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.). Farr is ranking minority member of the House Appropriations subcommittee with responsibility for FDA's budget. According to the spokesperson, Aderholt agreed to work separately on incorporating the measure in the version of the appropriations bill that will be sent to the full House; a full vote on the bill has not yet been scheduled.

The appropriations bill sent to the House would increase base appropriations -- taxpayer funding -- for FDA funding by $24 million from the level enacted for FY13 through continuing resolutions, not including sequestration cuts. The bill would provide FDA with about $1.8 billion in user fees and $2.5 billion in base appropriations in FY14. ...