August 29, 2022
The Honorable Charles Schumer
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Minority Leader, U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Patty Murray
Chair, U.S. Senate HELP Committee
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Frank Pallone
Chair, Committee on Energy & Commerce
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Richard Burr
Ranking Member, U.S. Senate HELP
Committee
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Cathy McMorris Rogers
Ranking Member, Committee on Energy &
Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leaders Schumer, McCarthy and McConnell, Chairs Pallone and Murray,
and Ranking Members Rogers and Burr:
We write as a diverse group of consumer, health professional, food safety, academic, and
environmental organizations that wish to express appreciation of your continuing efforts to
deliver vital funding to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through user fee
reauthorization legislation emerging from the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. We urge that as you work to
reconcile these bills, you address urgent public health challenges by maintaining critical
protections in the FDA Safety and Landmark Advancements Act (FDASLA), S. 4348.
This legislation includes safeguards that will help ensure Americans have access to safe dietary
supplements, accurate tests used in clinical medicine, a safe and reliable supply of infant formula
and other essential medical foods, food packaging free of harmful PFAS chemicals, safe
cosmetics, and affordable and timely access to effective and safe medicines tested in diverse
populations.
These necessary, bipartisan policies reflect years of continuous engagement and thoughtful
collaboration among committee and congressional leaders, the executive branch, and the public
stakeholder community. Our organizations deeply appreciate the careful balance the Senate
HELP Committee struck in the legislation it advanced to markup on June 14th, 2022.
While some provisions could be strengthened still further from the Senate version, we urge you
not to forgo this key opportunity to advance long-awaited solutions for the American public. We
express our continued support for the meaningful reforms contained in the bill, and hope that
Congressional and committee leadership remain committed to negotiating these protections as
you advance this important legislation. For questions and further assistance on this letter, please
contact Sarah Sorscher at [email protected] or (202) 777-8397.
Signed,
Allergy & Asthma Network
AllergyStrong
American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)
Association of State Public Health Nutritionists
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
BISA Nonprofit – Breast Implant Safety Alliance
Center for Environmental Health
Center for Food Safety
Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Consumer Federation of America
Consumer Reports
CURED Campaign Urging Research for Eosinophilic Diseases
Doctors for America
Elijah-Alavi Foundation
Environmental Working Group
Eosinophilic Family Coalition
FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education)
Food Equality Initiative
International Center for Technology Assessment
International FPIES Association
Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health
National Center for Health Research
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now
T1International USA
The TMJ Association
U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group)