On the recordDecember 20, 2010
I am here to recognize today's achievement of the passage of the landmark bipartisan Food Safety Modernization Act out of the Senate. The first responsibility of government is to protect its citizens. Ensuring a rapid response to outbreaks of contaminated food is critical to maintaining public trust in our food supply. This bill will make necessary changes to help keep consumers safe, and I look forward to passage in the House and the bill being signed into law. This food safety legislation is going to be a tremendous benefit to our Nation, and to protecting our citizens from foodborne illnesses, as well as potential acts of terrorism aimed at our food supply. I urge the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, to work very closely with the business community in the rulemaking process to be sure that we are not adding additional regulations that may already be covered and regulated under other areas, such as the Food and Drug Cosmetic Act and the Bioterrorism Act.
