Kevin Roberts: “I rise today as the Senate considers legislation on an issue that is critically important to our Nation's food supply.…”

“I rise today as the Senate considers legislation on an issue that is critically important to our Nation's food supply. From our producers in the fields to our families purchasing food in the aisles of the grocery stores, without the Senate action we are considering today, this country will be hit with a wrecking ball that will disrupt the entire food chain. We need to act now to pass our amendment to S. 764. This is a bipartisan--a bipartisan--approach that provides a permanent solution to the patchwork of biotechnology labeling laws that will wreak havoc on the flow of interstate commerce of agriculture and food products in our Nation's marketplace. That is what this is exactly about--the marketplace. It is not about safety. It is not about health or nutrition. It is about marketing. Science has proven again and again that the use of agriculture biotechnology is 100-percent safe. The Senator from North Carolina, Mr. Tillis, provided on the floor just a moment ago that, in fact, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry last year heard from the three Federal agencies tasked with regulating agriculture biotechnology--the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration. Their work is based on sound science and is the gold standard for our policymaking, including this policy we are debating today--one of the most important food and agriculture decisions in recent decades.…”