Patrick Leahy

We wanted to promote transparency that holds the bad actors accountable.

Bad actors have held up Main Street businesses and innovative companies to extort financial settlements.

I have worked so hard over the years to finally be able to pass the Leahy-Smith bill, one of the great bipartisan efforts of both the Senate and the House.

Do you share my concerns that a reopening of the Farm Bill as part of budget reconciliation would be devastating to the work your Department has been doing?

The Senator from Mississippi has graciously allowed me to speak before him, and I ask unanimous consent that Senator Wicker be recognized immediately upon the conclusion of my comments. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cassidy). Without…

Am I correct that the Senator from Tennessee is not asking the Senate to set aside the pending amendment but wishes to file an amendment? Is that correct?

In many ways, Vermont highlights both the successes and challenges of ensuring that rural America has access to affordable and quality broadband service.

I want to thank the Department and Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine Michael Taylor for continuing to engage with the state of Vermont and our farmers and specialty producers.

What assurances can you give to this Committee and states like Vermont that the FDA will prioritize this food safety work in your fiscal year 2017 budget request?

We cannot expect farmers to make such monumental changes on their farms without technical and financial support.

There are serious price tags attached to these food safety rules, not only for the Federal Government, but also for the states, and for our farmers of all sizes who do not have the infrastructure in place to meet these new rules.

I appreciate that your food safety team, led by Mike Taylor, has visited Vermont several times and has listened many of my constituent's concerns, resulting in better rules, yet many questions still remain for our farmers and our State…

Please explain to me how you are going to educate before you regulate?

First time a parochial interest has ever come up in my 40 years on this Committee.

That does not seem the way it should be. I would hope FDA would commit to complete the rulemaking...

I hate to see you leave. I understand it reaches a point, but thank you for what you have done.

I can tell you right now, unless there is really strong action against some of these people, you are going to destroy something that is not only part of the culture of our State, but it is a very important industry in our State, and one in…

Also the warnings can be done immediately, perhaps not the changes immediately, but the warnings could.

I appreciate especially as the newest member of this subcommittee the courtesy of the chairman.

I am worried that your budget falls short on the needs for your State partnerships, staff training, and education and technical assistance for producers and value added agriculture.

Do you share my concerns that a reopening of the Farm Bill as part of budget reconciliation would be devastating to the work your Department has been doing?

I am concerned about the potential impact on the privacy rights of innocent Americans.

Best possible and the most timely.

To respond to the Senator, I may very well support his amendment. The technical question is, Should the amendment of the Senator from Ohio be set aside so that this one may be the one pending? On that issue, there is objection. When the…

I don't know who is cosponsoring the amendment. Madam President, addressing the Senator through the Chair, as we are required to do by the Senate rules, I would say that my objection is to setting aside the pending amendment. I would…