Lawmakers worry about FDA funding

WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- Lawmakers on both side of the aisle say it appears the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seriously underfunded for next year.

Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and Sen. Robert F. Bennett, R-Utah, agreed that the FDA needs a great deal more money than President George Bush is currently offering, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Kohl heads the Senate Appropriations subcommittee and Bennett is the ranking minority member. "To us, it's clear that they're seriously underfunded," Kohl said after a hearing of the subcommittee.

A report by outside FDA advisers last year said the agency lacked the money, staff and scientific expertise to protect the U.S. public. The White House has proposed a 3 percent budget increase to $1.8 billion next year but that is not enough to cover increased costs, the newspaper said.