House bill hints FDA may get a budget boost after all

A budget bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday to fund agriculture, rural development and FDA includes an increase in FDA funding for FY19, suggesting a resolution to the budget stalemate may not imperil FDA's plans for a broad expansion of activities in 2019 when the impasse is resolved.

H.R. 265 earmarks a $159 million increase for FDA in FY19, for a total budget of $2.96 billion. While the increase is in line with a bipartisan appropriations bill that passed the Senate last August, it is only about half of the $307 million boost approved by the House last year and even further below the $400 million increase the Trump administration had requested...