Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the Senate has made clear the authority of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for imported catfish inspections. It has been debated and resolved in two previous farm bills; first, in 2008 and again in 2014. The USDA catfish inspection is about protecting the health and safety of American consumers. The 2008 and 2014 farm bills required catfish inspection responsibilities to be transferred from the Food and Drug Administration to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service upon publication of final regulations. The need for this regulatory clarification is clear: American consumers could be exposed to dangerous chemicals and unapproved drugs in the imported catfish they eat. According to the Government Accountability Office, about half of the seafood imported into the United States comes from farm-raised fish. Fish grown in confined areas have been shown to contain bacterial infections. The FDA's oversight program to ensure the safety of imported seafood from residues of unapproved drugs is limited, especially as compared with the practices of other developed countries. According to the Department of Agriculture and other Federal agencies, the Food and Drug Administration inspects only 1 percent of all imported seafood products. This is just not acceptable. The U.S.…”