Herb Kohl

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this propitious hearing this morning.

I do appreciate that and the clarification is very helpful.

Senator Kohl, certainly, you know that import inspection, or reinspection, as we call it, of meat and poultry that is imported into the United States is an extremely high priority with us at FSIS.

I would like to offer a very warm welcome to Senator Bennett as he assumes his responsibilities as chairman of this subcommittee.

Wisconsin officials are in constant contact with us here and they have informed us that they need over $5 million in fiscal year 2004 for continued chronic wasting disease testing and monitoring.

But that kind of a backlog would not be tolerated by you here.

I think you are absolutely right.

He is someone that I and other members of this committee have come to know, respect and admire for his fairness.

I would agree, no question as a matter of principle.

It is the USDA's responsibility to make sure that the food supply is as safe as possible, and that includes, obviously, making sure that what is imported undergoes the same rigorous oversight and scrutiny as the food that we make for…

I will be on you and at you with a sense of urgency to try and find some way to increase the amount of funding that we can get in Wisconsin.

I think the American people need some answers, and this hearing will provide a unique opportunity for you to address them.

you really can't entirely predict what a prion-related disease will do.

I would like to offer a very warm welcome to Senator Bennett as he assumes his responsibilities as chairman of this subcommittee.

So whatever problems they have are our problems, isn't that true?

If they have a backlog with their testing, they have got to do something about it, and if we need to help them, then that is what we need to do.

Clearly, protection of our food supply is one of our greatest responsibilities.

We must remember that much of Rural America did not share in all the prosperity that the rest of the Nation enjoyed over the past decade.

Thank you for that willingness to work with producers and I urge you to get those checks out to the farmers as soon as possible.

How they test and how frequently they test, how accurately they test is of enormous importance to us.

Thank you very much, Senator Bennett.

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