Women’s Health: Calling on FDA Commissioner to Stop Efforts to Raid Funding

The following is taken from U.S. Senator Patty Murray’s Weekly Report to the People of Washington, March 5, 2007:

Last Wednesday, I joined Senators Clinton, Mikulski, and Snowe to call on FDA Commissioner Andrew Von Eschenbach to stop reported efforts to raid funding from the Office of Women's Health (OWH) According to news reports, the FDA intends to reallocate $1.2 million in funding from the FY 2007 budget of the Office of Women's Health to other uses.

In our letter we wrote:

"For the past sixteen years, the OWH has performed vital work to improve the health and well-being of women across the United States. The OWH looks out for the day to day needs of women and promotes and monitors the progress of women's health initiatives at the FDA. Slashing funding for the OWH would pull the rug out from under these efforts and shortchange promising efforts to improve women's health. We will pursue every course to make certain that this funding is restored."

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