Can I just encourage the FDA to continue to take a look at that?

I visited that laboratory in Berkeley a number of years ago. Fascinating work that's being done there.

I am delighted to be here in the role of ranking member, and I am certainly looking forward to working with you.

We need you all to come to us with a proposal so we can have this subcommittee really chew on it

But there is another element of the preventive controls rule--I believe it is in the preventive controls rules--that involves developing a tracking system for ingredients that go into processed foods.

America has and continues to have the safest food supply in the world.

You suggested cutting it from $27 million to $10 million. Why?

We need to get the resources to implement the foreign supplier verification process.

If you were to follow the contract and ask for the full rent and your tenants would not then would not be able to pay it, then there is just no good answer. An eviction results in homelessness.

Can you give us some sense as to whether the final rules will prevent the tobacco industry from selling candy-flavored products?

USDA Rural Development provides a remarkable set of opportunities to improve the quality of life in rural America.

Thank you very much for coming out to Oregon to visit a self-help housing program.

We are changing the systems, we are enhancing the testing all to create a system where the potential for contamination is absolutely minimized.

Thank you for all that work. During this timeframe, these years that have been passing, many, many new products targeted at children have come forward.

Okay, I will look forward to future reports. Please keep me apprised.

You have had the longest tenure of any FDA Commissioner in recent history, so thank you for your service over the last 6 years.

Just to close with this specific question because my time has run out, can you encourage me as you are leaving the FDA to continue to look at whether the testing requirement under this set of circumstances is still overly burdensome?

Can we get your cooperation in exploring the potential expansion and support for mobile slaughter facilities?

I appreciate the enormous work that has gone in to realizing this vision for food safety.

It was 2009 when the United States, Congress, and the President passed legislation giving FDA the power to regulate these products.

Let's get this fixed.

My understanding is that we did enable that to be done, but that there is reticence to do so.

Back when we were working on this bill, a young man and his father came out from Oregon to testify.

Well, thank you very much. I'm going to try to quickly touch on five topics in 5 minutes.

I want to continue this conversation, because this is so important.