Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we are on the floor this afternoon with the issue of GMO foods--genetically modified organisms--before us. I don't want to talk about GMO foods in that space; I want to talk about a more specific genetically engineered species. I would like to speak this afternoon about genetically engineered salmon. I think it is important to acknowledge that this is separate from the larger GMO debate we have been engaged in on the floor. Genetically engineered animals are not crops. They are not something that grows in a field and stays stationary. A genetically engineered salmon is something that swims. It moves around. It is something entirely new. It is a new species--a new species designed specifically for human consumption. This is the first time the FDA has ever signed off on a genetically engineered new species designed for human consumption--the first time. I happen to think the FDA signoff was wrong, and I am going to continue to object to that because this species that potentially will be introduced into our markets, into our homes, and quite possibly into our ecosystems, contrary to what any environmental assessment may claim, is new. This is unprecedented. When we talk about a genetically engineered salmon--we have dubbed it a Frankenfish in Alaska because it is splicing DNA from one animal, an ocean pout, with DNA from another fish, a farmed fish, and inserting that into a Chinook salmon.…”