FDA chief defends budget, says agency is taxpayer ‘bargain’

By Toni Clarke WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Congress for more money on Thursday to improve food safety, police imports and develop countermeasures against chemical and biological threats. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg told a Senate appropriations subcommittee that the agency is doing its best to tighten its belt by cutting back on travel and training. She said mandatory federal spending cuts known as sequestration will cut funds to the agency by $209 million. …