Leaked White House Budget Draft Proposes Shifting Inspection Responsibilities from FDA to States

More financial cuts and other changes are coming at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a recently leaked draft of a White House budget document. The document, which outlines a plan to slash nearly a third of HHS’ budget in 2026, proposes eliminating the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) role in routine food facility inspections, turning that responsibility over to the states.

"The budget eliminates FDA's direct role in routine inspections of food facilities," says the document. "FDA will expand the current state contracts for routine food facility inspections program to cover 100 percent of all routine foods."

According to the draft, HHS will submit an implementation plan that includes timeframes by state by May 1.

The document was leaked by Inside Medicine and The Washington Post. It proposes cutting HHS’ budget from about $117 billion to $80 billion. FDA’s budget would be cut from $7.2 billion to $6.5 billion, according to the document.

The proposed 2026 FDA budget would prioritize the agency's work on chemicals and other additives in food. 

"The budget will include short- and long-term administrative actions to strengthen and streamline FDA's regulatory oversight of food programs, so chemicals and other additives in food and food packaging can be expeditiously removed from our food supply," said the document. 

The proposed cuts follow the government’s restructuring plan that cut 10,000 jobs from HHS last month, including 3,500 from the FDA.