Durbin: Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Over $400 Million for FDA and Food Safety

Press Release

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee, of which he is a member, has approved over $400 million in federal funding for Food and Drug Administration's 2008 budget. Durbin initiated a letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture requesting increased funding for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Inspector.

"Recent recalls and investigative news reports have made the gaps in inspection, monitoring, and notification within the food safety system clearer than ever," said Durbin. "Today we approved a bill that asks for $37.7 million more than the President's budget because we simply cannot afford to let consumers continue to be the guinea pigs in our food safety system."

The bill provides $48.4 million in funding over last year's level and is $37.7 million greater then the President's 2008 budget request. Of those increases, $21 million is for hiring more field inspectors, $11 million for rapid response teams that trace back and respond to recalls and contaminations, and $6 million for additional food safety research.

Additionally, the legislation contains report language that commissions a study by the National Academy of Sciences to bring stakeholders together to make recommendations on comprehensive food safety reform. Durbin worked with Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) to have this language included.

Senator Durbin has been actively engaged on food safety issues for over a decade. Currently, there are at least 12 different federal agencies and 35 different laws governing food safety. With overlapping jurisdictions, federal agencies often lack accountability on food safety-related issues.

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