In a letter to the White House and Congressional leaders, 46 health groups urges an end to the government shutdown.
The text of the letter, dated Jan. 22, follows:
Dear Mr. President, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, and Leader McCarthy,
The undersigned organizations, representing millions of American patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and researchers write to raise alarm at the continued government shutdown–particularly its impact on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The work of the FDA to protect the health and wellbeing of our nation cannot be overstated. The agency regulates one quarter of the U.S. economy, ensures a safe food supply, protects patients from contaminated and unsafe medical products and, importantly, is the catalyst for expediting lifesaving therapies to patients.
On behalf of patients across this country, we are greatly concerned that the agency is currently not fully funded, and thousands of vital FDA employees are not working or able to operate at full capacity. While we applaud Commissioner Gottlieb, FDA leadership, and “essential staff” for truly heroic work to keep many aspects of its mission functioning, we fear that this continued shutdown not only puts the current health and safety of Americans at risk, but has begun to put future scientific discovery and innovation in jeopardy.
The ongoing government shutdown forces the FDA to make difficult choices regarding to which essential functions its greatly reduced resources are directed. These are decisions that never should have to be made— the health and safety of Americans today should never be weighed against the prospect of new life-saving therapies for patients. Tragically, that is what is happening.
We ask that the President and Congress act immediately to bring the FDA back to its full capacity. Americans’ health and patients’ futures are at stake.”
