Champion of Federal Women’s Health Offices Denounces Large Budget Cut for FDA Office of Women’s Health

WASHINGTON, DC – As the Washington Post reported today, the Food and Drug Administration has quietly decided to strip $1.2 million out of its Office of Women’s Health’s $4 million budget. This drastic cut, which could be the first step toward eliminating the office altogether, could cripple the office and halt its programmatic operations for the rest of the year.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14), author of legislation that would make permanent the offices of women’s health within five federal agencies, said today that this budget cut reinforces the pressing need to protect federal offices of women’s health.

“As long as offices like this are left hanging by a thread, American women can’t expect the federal government to pay adequate attention to their unique health needs,” said Maloney. “We cannot allow women’s health research to be ignored as it has been historically. We need legislation to protect the federal offices of women’s health, which are essential to the advancement of women’s health in this country.”

Maloney reintroduced the Women’s Health Office Act (H.R. 1072) earlier this month (http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1292&Itemid=61 ). It would make the FDA’s Office of Women’s Health and four other federal women’s health offices permanent. 

The FDA Office of Women’s Health, which has not seen a budget increase for several years, ensures that FDA programs are gender sensitive, works to address sex-based disparities in the safety and efficacy of medical products approved by the FDA, monitors progress of women’s health initiatives across the FDA, and partners with other agencies to promote its women’s health programs. The FDA plans to withhold $1.2 million of the $4 million budget to use elsewhere in the agency.

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