Will FDA’s New Budget Cover Food Safety Costs?

In a related area, the Fiscal 2015 budget request for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, which provides federal inspection of domestic meat, poultry, and processed egg products establishments as well as inspection of imported meat, poultry, and egg products, would remain relatively flat at around $1.0 billion. The budget anticipates implementation of “modernized poultry inspection practices,” including efficiencies through the rollout of the Public Health Information System to states, resulting in more streamlined administrative and scheduling processes, USDA says in its budget document.

Budget Outlook Murky

Traditionally, release of the president’s annual budget request marks the start of the congressional appropriations process, with committees in the House and Senate holding hearings on agencies under their jurisdictions. But it’s been five years since Congress has passed a budget this fashion, with legislators having largely ignored the White House’s proposals. The situation is further complicated this year because Congress has already agreed to two-year federal spending levels through a budget deal spearheaded in December 2013 by House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA).

In fact, Murray announced in February that Senate Democrats would not bother passing a budget this year because “it wouldn’t be productive to relitigate it so soon after our two-year deal.” Ryan has said that Republicans in the House would wait to see Obama’s budget request before beginning the process of crafting a “balanced budget” of their own for FY 2015.

Agres is based in Laurel, Md. Reach him at [email protected].