Editorials Address Legislation That Would Increase FDA Funding for Foreign Inspections
Two newspapers recently published editorials addressing legislation approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee that would provide an additional $275 million to help FDA improve inspections of imported food and drugs.
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Baltimore Sun: "Americans will gain important protections from life-threatening contamination of food and drugs once federal regulators are given an extra $275 million to inspect imported products abroad to ensure they are safe," a Sun editorial states. The Sun continues that Congress and President Bush should approve legislation that would provide the additional funding, "[o]therwise, consumers will lack adequate safeguards from potentially unsafe foreign products for at least another year." According to the Sun, "The Bush administration has added a limited amount of funding for foreign inspections, but it is far from enough to keep up with the rapid growth in drug and food imports." The editorial concludes, "Protecting the health and safety of American people should be a higher priority" (Baltimore Sun, 5/22).
- Los Angeles Times: "Though short of what Government Accountability Office reports have suggested for the agency," the $275 million in increased funding "is what the FDA can realistically use in a single year," according to a Times editorial. The Times writes, "A big, new budget also requires a ramp-up in hiring and operations that cannot be done overnight," adding, "But the FDA also will need new powers to issue recalls and set standards for overseas food and drug companies that sell to the United States." The editorial concludes, "The funding would be a good start," and legislation that would provide it "deserves ... swift approval by Congress and the president to ensure that the government can protect the integrity of our medicines and the safety of our daily bread" (Los Angeles Times, 5/22).
