Sen. Coburn says that the bill "adds to the deficit and expands the power of an already troubled agency." His office reports that the senator will "object to bringing up the bill if his concerns aren't addressed." Coburn "agrees that food safety needs a complete overhaul but says that the current effort is disingenuous because there is not any money dedicated to it. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that it will cost $1.4 billion." Democrats, however, say that the legislation "is a policy measure and would not immediately add to the deficit. They say the bill would be paid for in annual spending bills."
The food safety legislation "would give the agency more power to recall tainted products, require more inspections of food processing facilities and require producers to follow stricter standards for keeping food safe. Currently, the FDA does not have the authority to order a recall and must negotiate recalls with the affected producers. The agency rarely inspects many food facilities and farms, visiting some every decade or so and others not at all."
To read the Associated Press story, click here.
Posted: 09/16/2010
