The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday plans to mark up a supplemental war appropriations bill that will include language to block for one year seven new Medicaid regulations proposed by the Bush administration, as well as additional funds for FDA, CQ Today reports (Higa, CQ Today, 5/7). The House version of the legislation, which would cost more than $183 billion, includes the Medicaid language but not the FDA funds (Scully/Bourge, CongressDaily, 5/8).

According to Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies, the Senate version of the bill will include $275 million for FDA. The legislation would provide $125 million for food safety; $100 million for medication and medical device safety; $40 million to modernize FDA science and the agency work force; and $10 million to upgrade FDA facilities and laboratories. Kohl said, "With serious concerns about the FDA lacking the resources to do its job, this much needed increase in funding means the agency can hire more food inspectors, open offices overseas, expand data collection and take other necessary steps to prevent our food and drug safety being severely compromised" (Higa, CQ Today, 5/7)…