Senators Press FDA Commissioner on Staff Cuts and Review Capacity Amid FY2026 Budget Proposal
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Senators at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing questioned FDA Commissioner Dr. McCary about recent reductions in force, hiring decisions, and whether the agency can meet review and inspection obligations under a proposed FY2026 budget that includes deep cuts to HHS and shifts in user-fee management.
Dr. McCary, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that "the trains are running on time at the FDA" even as senators pressed him about a recent reduction in force and the agency's FY2026 funding proposal.
The exchange came during a hearing focused on the administration's FY2026 budget request for the FDA, which Dr. McCary said totals $6,800,000,000 including $3,200,000,000 in budget authority and $3,600,000,000 in user fees. Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen warned the committee that "more than 4,000 people have been pushed out of FDA since January," and said committee staff had not yet received detailed information about where cuts occurred across centers and offices.
Why it matters: Senators said they need full staffing and program details to assess whether the agency can keep pace with product reviews, inspections and user-fee deadlines while implementing reorganization plans. Lawmakers pressed the commissioner on whether scientific reviewers and inspectors were affected and on the difference between scheduled reductions and finalized terminations.
Most important facts: Dr. McCary told the panel that roughly 1,900 people were involved in the reduction in force and another "1,200 plus" had taken early retirement packages. He also said no scientific reviewers or inspectors were cut as part of the RIF and that the agency is hiring scientists to replace turnover. Several senators disputed that account or said they were hearing contrary reports from stakeholders and FDA employees.
Senator Patty Murray said the proposed budget ‘‘slashes FDA by more than 11%,” called firing and rehiring inefficient and warned that ‘‘drug approvals are already getting delayed.'' Dr. McCary defended the cuts as part of consolidations of administrative roles (HR, IT, communications) and said the agency had doubled in size since 2007, which he cited as context for realigning non-review functions.
Subcommittee directions and outstanding questions: Committee members asked for detailed, center-by-center staffing and inspection data. At the end of the hearing the chair set a deadline for written follow-up: "Questions for the record are due by next Thursday, May 29," with committee staff requesting FDA responses "within 30 days." Those requests were made on the record.
Background and context: Senators cited past food-safety and supply events — including an infant-formula shortage and ongoing concerns about lab capacity — to press the point that technical staff matter for public safety. Dr. McCary repeatedly described the personnel moves as part of a larger reorganization to reduce administrative redundancy and to preserve mission-critical reviewers and inspectors.
What was not decided: No formal budget vote or committee mark was taken at the hearing. Senators requested additional documentation and analysis from FDA; final decisions about FY2026 appropriations will proceed through the committee's regular budget and appropriations process.