Reps. Nydia M. Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to immediately stop planned layoffs and restructuring at the Food and Drug Administration’s San Juan Medical Products Laboratory (SJNLMP) in Puerto Rico.
In a letter sent on Monday to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the lawmakers criticized the April 1 reduction-in-force (RIF) notice issued to the lab’s 20 employees and the subsequent halt in operations, according to a press release. They warned that shutting down the facility would undermine national public health protections and eliminate critical jobs in Puerto Rico.
"Shutting down this laboratory is against your commitment to protect ‘essential services’ and ‘frontline jobs’ as doing so jeopardizes the safety of millions of Americans by weakening FDA’s ability to detect contaminated pharmaceuticals, respond to health emergencies, and safeguard national security,” the letter reads in part.
Reps. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) co-signed the letter. They said the closure would not only weaken the FDA’s surveillance capabilities but also impact key programs, including health fraud detection, cooperative drug safety research and pharmaceutical import monitoring.
“We urge you to prioritize the health of the American people and the integrity of our pharmaceutical supply chain by ensuring that the San Juan Medical Products Laboratory remains fully staffed and operational,” wrote the lawmakers.
The San Juan lab, one of the few FDA-owned facilities focused on pharmaceutical drug analysis, has played a key role in removing unsafe and adulterated products from the market. It also supports programs like the Strategic National Stockpile and the Shelf-Life Extension Program, which ensures the viability of drugs and medical supplies used in public health emergencies.
