Luján Applauds Passage of Bill Supporting Public Health Missions of FDA and NIH

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) applauded the Senate’s passage of his bipartisan legislation to increase the transfer authority for funding the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) – independent, non-profit organizations that perform critical work to support the public health missions of NIH and FDA. U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) are cosponsors of the Supporting the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration Act.  

Under current law, NIH and FDA may transfer funding to their respective foundations, within statutory limits, but these limits have not increased since 2007. The increases in transfer authority will help advance collaborative innovation with the FNIH and Reagan-Udall Foundation to address cutting-edge regulatory science challenges, including advancing research on COVID-19.

“For America to confront the next big public health threat, we need all hands on deck. The incredible research happening at the FNIH and Reagan-Udall Foundation complements and amplifies the work of the NIH and FDA,” said Luján. “I was proud to see the Senate pass this critical legislation last night, and I’ll keep working to see it passed in the House and signed into law.”

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