ARTICLE SUMMARY:
The Trump administration’s FY 2026 budget request would cut more than 400 full-time equivalents from FDA’s device program, including staff funded by user fees, even though the request would direct more money from Congress and industry to devices.
FDA signaled plans to cut hundreds of staff from its device program, including people supported by industry user fees, in its fiscal year 2026 budget request. The cuts would come even though the request would grant the device program an extra $8 million from Congress and a $33 million increase in industry user fee collections next year, adding up to a 5% year-over-year increase to $883 million.
Overall, the device program (including CDRH and FDA field staff focused on devices) would lose 461 “full-time equivalents” under the request, including 260 FTEs funded by the budget authority provided by Congress and another 201 user fee positions. (An FTE represents the resources equal to a full-time employee, but it does not always equate to one individual.)
