Some of the Food and Drug Administration’s activities will be disrupted by the government shutdown that began Oct. 1, despite the commissioner’s earlier promise that it would be business as usual at the agency.
Weekly outbreak updates will cease moving forward until government operations are restarted. The shutdown is because of a lack of funding legislation. The Senate failed to approve a funding bill on Sept. 30, the final day of the government’s fiscal year.
In recent days FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said that the agency would continue with business as usual if the government ceased operations because its duties are considered part of public safety work.
In its final weekly outbreak report the FDA made the following announcement:
“Due to the absence of either a fiscal year 2026 appropriation or a Continuing Resolution, only certain government activities will continue. While FDA will continue to conduct foodborne outbreak surveillance and response activities, the CORE Investigation Table will not be updated weekly during this time. FDA will continue to issue public warnings if there is actionable information to protect consumers from foodborne illness.”
The agency did not specifically say whether it will continue to post recall notices. The link in the FDA’s statement was not functional as of Oct. 1.
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