FDA Budget, Physician Payments On Tap For Congress In The New Year-thegraysheet: As 2014 begins, Congress must get to work right away on two pending pieces of legislation with important implications the device industry: appropriations for FDA, and a permanent repeal and replacement of the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula for Medicare physician payments. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., who heads the Senate Appropriations Committee, recently signaled her intent to get to work immediately on an omnibus appropriations bill based on the topline funding ceiling set in a budget agreement passed by Congress last month, and signed by the President Dec. 26.
