Congress Comes Through With Food-Safety Funding
By Laurel Maloy, contributing writer, Food Online
Another government shutdown was avoided as the House of Representatives and the Senate worked into the weekend to pass a spending bill to keep the government running
Congress may have given the U.S. more than it could have hoped for this year. Recent Christmases past have alternated between the “feel good” emotions expected at Christmastime and anger at a U.S. Congress that can’t seem to agree on anything. One of the most-debated topics during this time of year is budgets. Not only have Americans been worrying about their personal budget, they have had to keep an eye on Congress’s action, or inaction. With government employees most likely to be affected, the trickle-down effects impact almost everyone.
The term “government employee” includes employees of the FDA, the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). It also encompasses personnel at the Center for Veterinary Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), just to name the personnel most involved with food safety. Along with hundreds of thousands of other government employees, these agency’s employees can finish their holiday shopping and relax without the cloud of doubt that has become so common at this time of year. The government will not shut down; in fact, it appears the funding so critical to implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has become a reality.
It was in no way a resounding vote-of-confidence, the “CRomnibus” spending bill only passing in the House with a vote of 219 to 206 late on the night of Thursday, December 11. The Senate was forced into working through the weekend due to debate over the constitutionality of the President’s immigration amnesty plan and campaign reforms. It wasn’t until Saturday, December 13, that the Senate passed the spending bill. President Obama is expected to sign it quickly, the stopgap bill only funding the government through Wednesday, December 17, while future spending has been determined.
How does food safety benefit?
FSIS will get a bit more than $1.106 billion, a compromise between the House’s and Senate’s agriculture appropriations bills, but a triumph just the same. Close to $2.6 billion in discretionary funding was allocated for the FDA. CFSAN will reap $903 million, while the Center for Veterinary Medicine, also under the FDA’s umbrella, will receive $147 million. The CDC gains with close to $48 million of their $353 million in discretionary spending going toward food safety. The CDC’s budget for preventative diagnostic, detection, and prevention endeavors at the state and local level has been increased by $8 million.
A far cry from last year’s disappointing and almost non-existent funding increase, the future looks bright for FSMA. Michael Taylor, the FDA’s Deputy Commissions for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, must be letting out an enormous sigh of relief. His and his agency’s tireless work, the result of a bill signed by President Obama in January, 2011, will not be for naught. The funds will be there to implement FSMA going forward. Taylor seems to have found the silver lining, as we’ve witnessed the growth and ever-present changing culture of the FDA. That tired mantra, “work smarter, not harder” has been a necessity for the FDA; albeit one that has been highly successful.
A seemingly indefatigable band of government employees, along with a supportive cast of food-processing professionals and retailers have contributed to the most sweeping changes in food safety in almost a century. Congress has provided the means with which to ensure all of the hard work has been worth it. With the emphasis on immigration and defeating Presidential Executive Orders once the Republican majority takes over in January, food safety’s funding should be assured through September, 2015.