The Obama administration wants to double the amount of federal funding dedicated to combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a mounting problem that causes an estimated 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths annually in the U.S. The president will ask Congress for the $1.2 billion as part of his annual budget request, scheduled to be unveiled next week, White House officials said. An additional $47 million would go to the Food and Drug Administration to evaluate new drugs and monitor the use of antibiotics in livestock. The USDA would receive an additional $77 million, in part, to help develop alternatives to the antibiotics used in farm animals. Read more at The Washington Post…