Political Quotes

“I rise today to address the bait-and- switch being pulled on the American people in this Congress regarding catfish inspection. We have all been told by lobbyists for fish importers and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that the catfish inspection program is ``duplicative and trade distorting,'' but that simply isn't true. This rule is not duplicative, this rule is not distorting, and the program is working to keep food safe for Americans. There is nothing duplicative about this rule. The FDA no longer inspects any catfish. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is the only agency inspecting catfish. Additionally, the USDA and the FDA operate under a memorandum of understanding to prevent duplication. For decades, USDA and FDA coordinated to prevent duplicative inspections with regard to seafood, beef, pork, and poultry. The fact is that the FDA did not adequately inspect catfish. The FDA inspected less than 2 percent of catfish, and it lab tested an even smaller percentage. It would not be a stretch to argue that we had very little inspection at all. In contrast, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service inspects all catfish, as they do with other farmed- raised meat. This rule is not a WTO violation. Equivalent standards are applied to imported and domestic fish. The USDA has been inspecting beef, pork, and poultry with this system for decades. Is that too much to ask for?…”