The sprawling 662-acre plot of land in White Oak, MD, has seen better days. If not better, then at least busier ones. But that will change with FDA’s migration to the area. What was once the Naval Surface Warfare Center in White Oak, a suburb of Washington DC, will now house FDA operations. Some departments have already moved in (3700 employees are there already), but the campus is undergoing a makeover for FDA’s purposes. Six new buildings have been constructed and two more are on the way. The government has spent $680 million on the renovation project so far (the entire project is expected to cost $1.15 billion, including 14 new buildings and 3.1 million square feet of labs and offices). Although there doesn’t appear to be a hard deadline for this transition, the White Oak facility is expected to house more than 8800 FDA employees by 2012.
Transforming FDA
Following a reveal that Tom Daschle owed $128,000 in taxes, the senator withdrew his nomination yesterday as the next Health and Human Services Secretary. The former Senator from South Dakota had failed to pay taxes on the use of a free car and driver, provided by a Democratic fundraiser. Daschle, concluding that he owed the taxes, filed amended returns and paid more than $140,000 in back taxes and interest on Jan. 2, 2009.
So now the question. Who is a possible replacement nominee for the office in HHS? Daschle’s withdrawal not only puts the Obama administration in a scramble to find a suitable pick, but it will likely delay the appointment of a commissioner for FDA. Although there was not a permanent commissioner for most of President George W. Bush’s two terms in office, the White House says that finding an HHS secretary and an FDA commissioner remain high priorities. AdvaMed expressed its disappointment with Daschle’s withdrawal but urged the current administration to press on.
“We urge President Obama to move quickly to name a replacement nominee to fill the crucial position of Secretary of HHS,” said AdvaMed president Stephen Ubl in a statement, “so that work can proceed to reform the U.S. health care system so that all Americans can benefit from affordable, quality insurance and the best that medical innovation has to offer.â€
A short list of names has floated around, but the White House says that the president is very close to announcing his selection to lead the beleaguered agency. In the coming days, President Barack Obama will announce his pick for FDA commissioner, according to one of his spokesmen.
“The president hopes in the next few days to announce a pick for commissioner at FDA,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told a press briefing.
