Political Quotes

“it is a pleasure to rise to speak about the historic Food Safety Modernization Act. I thank Chairman Harkin, who worked with me to include provisions to help small farms and processors and organic farms so that they have before them in this bill provisions that support them and will help make them successful. The last thing we want to see is an effort to make our food safety system work better be used as a tool to diminish the ability of small farms and organic farms to thrive. That has been effectively addressed in the bill but also by provisions I will speak to in a while that Senator Tester is bringing forward. I also compliment Senator Durbin, who has been advocating for this bill, working on the elements of the bill for a very long time, and his determined, tenacious advocacy is the reason this bill is on the floor before us at this moment. I also appreciate the bipartisan problem-solving approach of the ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Enzi, and all of the members of the committee for coming together to say: This is not a Republican or a Democratic problem, this is a national health care issue, a national nutrition issue, and let's tackle it together. The safety of the Nation's food supply is a serious concern for every family in Oregon and across this Nation.”