Q&A - September 22, 2025
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This week’s questions:
Is there something that received less attention but particularly concerns you? (Yes, termination of the Household Food Security survey)
Will there be a government shutdown? What are the likely impacts for FDA if there is one?
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Q: It has been an overwhelming September for FDA. Is there something that received less attention but particularly concerns you?
A: Yes. On Saturday, USDA announced that it was terminating its Household Food Security survey on hunger in America (Washington Post article). The decision to announce this over a weekend only reinforces the bad intent: if we don’t measure food insecurity, then we can claim that it doesn’t exist.[1]
Food insecurity is one of the most pressing health problems in the United States. As a concern, it is roughly on par with 1/ misguided unscientific vaccine policies, and 2/ a war on chronic diseases that has no policy on tobacco reduction.
People sometimes say “a good life” starts with good health...I believe it starts with enough food. Hunger causes health problems, plus it saps the ability of children to do well in school and the ability of their parents to participate in the job market.
If we want America to be healthy, then food insecurity should be a high priority. I don’t have a problem with MAHA’s interest in the safety of food ingredients; I just don’t understand why food insecurity isn’t also at the top of their list.
It is an inconvenient truth, but nonetheless true, that: “hungry people buy whatever sustenance they can afford from whoever can supply it. Quality, safety, and nutritional value become, at best, secondary considerations.” (from my column A Message to MAHA: Every American Should Have Access to a Healthy and Affordable Diet).
In support of my point: in early September, McDonald’s expanded its value menu. In response, many restaurant chains expanded their budget options (Fox Business News). The CEO of McDonald’s was quoted as saying: “Particularly with lower and middle-income consumers, they’re feeling under a lot of pressure right now.” He added: “What we see is it’s really a two-tier economy right now.” CNBC.
So, yes, terminating the Household Food Security report is a BFD. The 2023 report showed that 47.4 million Americans lived in food-insecure households. (Food Security in the U.S. - Key Statistics & Graphics | Economic Research Service).
By not measuring food insecurity, the administration can pretend hunger in America doesn’t exist. Sadly, the problem will not be resolved by ignoring it.
Q: Will there be a government shutdown? What are the likely impacts for FDA if there is one?
A: The battle over FY 26 funding brings to mind Otto von Bismarck’s aphorism that “Laws are like sausages; it is better not to see them being made.”
Funding for FY 25 ends at midnight on September 30. Without new legislation (either funding bills or a Continuing Resolution), the government will shut down the morning of October 1. Why is passage of a CR not simple and straightforward?
First, each party has a different version of what needs to be contained in a CR. Second, the House and Senate are both in recess this week, with the House scheduled to return on October 6 and the Senate on September 29. Before leaving town, the House passed two CR’s, but (as expected) the Senate did not approve either bill.
So, there are three possibilities: the Senate reconsiders the House bills; the House returns to DC for negotiations and votes; or the government will shut down. The consensus among various pundits is that the likelihood of a shutdown is about 50/50, which is to say, nobody has a clue how this will play out over the next 10 days. The President has just agreed to meet with Democratic leaders on Thursday. After that meeting, the odds regarding a shutdown will be re-assessed. [Update: Trump just cancelled the meeting. CBS News]
FDA notes:
There is an exceedingly small, but non-zero, chance that the Ag/FDA funding bill for FY 26 passes before October 1. In that case, FDA, in its entirety, could operate without interruption at whatever level is appropriated in the funding bill. That is likely to be a bit less than the FY 25 funding level.
If there is a CR, it is likely to extend through October 31 (Democrats) or November 21 (Republicans). Funding will be at FY 25 levels, and the agency will be limited in its ability to start new initiatives.
If there is a shutdown, FDA will operate under this plan (here) or an updated FY 26 version that HHS would probably release at the end of this week or, at the latest, on Monday. While FDA’s situation is more favorable than most other agencies (75% of the FDA workforce will be able to continue to work), it will not, by any means, be “business as usual.”
There are a lot more nuances in shutdown workloads, which I will address if 1/ the likelihood of a shutdown grows, or 2/ HHS’s updated shutdown plan is announced.
[1] Weekend announcements receive less attention, especially in this case, being sandwiched between the ACIP vaccine meeting and the Charlie Kirk funeral. Kudos to the Washington Post for covering it. CORRECTION: I have been told that the WSJ first broke the story, not WP. I am glad both publications saw the announcement as newsworthy.