[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 24, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7031-S7032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  NOMINATION OF DR. JANE HENNEY FOR THE COMMISSIONER OF FOOD AND DRUGS

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the 
nomination of Dr. Jane Henney for the Commissioner of Food and Drugs.
  In November, 1997, President Clinton signed legislation charging the 
Food and Drug Administration with the responsibility for bringing 
lifesaving drugs and medical devices to the American people more 
quickly and efficiently, without compromising safety or effectiveness. 
This legislation requires the FDA to rethink many of its old models and 
to work collaboratively with the public and with drug and device 
manufacturers to improve the certainty of the product review process, 
to provide patients with better access to investigational therapies, 
and to encourage manufacturers to test the safety and efficacy of their 
products for children. Such responsibilities require strong, innovative 
leadership--leadership that Dr. Henney can clearly provide.
  Dr. Henney is a distinguished physician, a cancer specialist, and a 
nationally recognized academic leader and public health administrator 
who has served in the Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton 
Administrations. She served as Deputy Commissioner for Operations at 
the FDA from 1992 to 1994 and is thoroughly familiar with FDA's 
responsibilities, having managed the agency's daily activities and six 
operating centers.
  Dr. Henney has also proven her ability to manage in a challenging 
environment. At the University of New Mexico, she led the Health 
Sciences Center

[[Page S7032]]

to increase its efforts to stabilize local health care delivery systems 
and to engage in extensive reorganization initiatives. Earlier, as a 
Deputy Commissioner at the FDA, Dr. Henney reorganized and improved the 
efficiency of the FDA's centers, recruiting new directors for five of 
the six centers. She also played a principal role in the enactment of 
the Prescription Drug User Fee Act of 1992, which revitalized the 
agency's drug and biologics review system.
  The position of Commissioner of Food and Drugs has been vacant for 
more than 14 months, leaving without leadership a federal agency that 
arguably has a more direct and significant impact on the lives of the 
American people that any other. The foods we serve our family, the 
medicines we take when we're sick, and even the drugs we give our pets, 
are all approved and monitored by the FDA. One quarter of every dollar 
spent by consumers goes to products regulated by the FDA. Jane Henney's 
innovative managing skills as well as her medical reputation make her 
the ideal candidate to shoulder the responsibility for leading the Food 
and Drug Administration into the next century. I encourage the Senate 
to act expeditiously and support Dr. Henney's well-deserved 
nomination.

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