[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 75 (Monday, June 10, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S5284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     FDA CONSOLIDATION AT WHITE OAK

 Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to urge my 
colleagues to continue to work for full funding of the Food and Drug 
Administration, FDA, consolidation and improvement at White Oak, MD in 
fiscal year 2003. I strongly believe that ensuring the safety of 
America's food and drug supply is a matter of national security. 
Yesterday, Senator Hatch and I offered then withdrew an amendment that 
we hoped would have provided the funding needed for this project which 
is vital to ensure the safety of America's food and drug supply. We are 
told that the our amendment would have increased the cost of the 
homeland security supplemental appropriations bill. However, we have 
been assured that Senators Dorgan and Campbell, the chair and ranking 
members of the Treasury General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, 
are committed to looking at trying to help to continue to find a way to 
fund the FDA consolidation at White Oak as a part of the fiscal year 
2003 appropriations process.
  Why is completing this project vital? FDA's mission is to review and 
regulate more than $1 trillion worth of products, many of which are 
vital to human health. FDA cannot fulfill its mission because FDA has 
to work in obsolete facilities that are not equipped to handle today's 
advanced laboratory and administrative functions. Currently, over 6,000 
FDA employees are scattered among 40 different buildings at 20 
different locations in the Greater Washington, D.C. area. These 
facilities are being consolidated into one integrated facility at the 
former U.S. Naval Surface Weapons Center. Not only will the 
consolidation greatly improve FDA's operating efficiencies, but timely 
construction of the new facilities also will save approximately $32 
million per year in commercial lease costs. We need consolidate FDA on 
one campus, just like the NIH and the CDC, in order for the FDA to take 
its place alongside these institutions as a world class health and food 
research and safety facility.
  What is FDA's role in national security? The recent anthrax attacks 
on U.S. citizens have heightened FDA's critical role in ensuring the 
safety of our food and drug supplies. Indeed, the FDA is on the front 
lines of this effort and must have proper, modern facilities to enable 
them to best perform their mission. The consolidation will provide 
state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities for that mission.
  What is the status of the project? Congress has already appropriated 
$146 million for the first phases of this vital project, fiscal year 
2000, $35 million; fiscal year 2001, $92.1 million; fiscal year 2002, 
$19.06 million. Construction has started on phase I, the laboratory for 
FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. However, approximately 
$450 million is still needed to complete this vital project.
  Why is full funding important? This project has already been delayed 
due to funding cutbacks. If the General Services Administration's 
fiscal year 2003 construction request for FDA consolidations is not 
fully funded, completion of the consolidation will be delayed even 
further. These delays will add considerably to the overall cost of the 
project due to inflation and other factors. For example, scheduled to 
be constructed in phase III is the Center for Devices and Radiological 
Health, CDRH. The CDRH laboratories are badly in need of improvements, 
but FDA has been holding off such work in anticipation of building new 
laboratories as part of the consolidation. Further delay, we are 
advised, would likely necessitate FDA's spending several million 
dollars renovating the existing CDRH laboratories. These would be non-
recoverable costs.

  What is the next step? We hope that your colleagues will agree that, 
from the perspectives of public safety and fiscal responsibility, we 
can not afford to delay the timely completion of this project. We hope 
that our colleagues will support full funding for FDA consolidation in 
fiscal year 2003. I look forward to continuing to work with my 
colleagues, Senators Hatch, Dorgan, and Campbell toward completing this 
project which will provide better security of two of the most essential 
daily needs of all Americans, our food and drugs.

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