FDA opens new office in Middle East with minimal public oversight
H.R. 1794 — United States-Abraham Accords Cooperation and Security Act of 2025 · Filed by Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) · 6 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 3, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill creates a new office within the FDA called the Abraham Accords Office, to be located in one of the countries that signed the Abraham Accords (a Middle East diplomatic agreement). The office will help those countries strengthen their drug and medical product regulatory systems to match FDA standards, and will facilitate communication between the FDA and manufacturers in those countries. The Secretary of Health and Human Services must report to Congress within 3 years on the office's progress.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to establish a new FDA office focused on regulatory harmonization and technical assistance with Abraham Accords countries. It is a structural/administrative measure, not a substantive policy change to FDA authority or drug approval standards.
What the text implies
- The bill does not specify which Abraham Accords countries will host the office or how that selection will be made transparent to Congress or the public—only that it will be done 'in consultation with' those governments.
- The office's duties are broadly discretionary ('other functions and activities as the Secretary determines')—Congress has no veto or approval mechanism over what the office actually does beyond the 3-year report.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
pharmaceutical manufacturers in Abraham Accords countries; medical device manufacturers in Abraham Accords countries