Washington, D.C. – Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives, John D. Dingell (D-MI15), wrote the following letter to the leadership on both the House Committee on the Budget and the House Committee on Appropriations requesting they immediately provide the appropriate funding to implement the urgently needed provisions passed in the newly enacted Food Safety Modernization Act law. A copy of the letter is attached and the text is below:
February 9, 2011
The Honorable Paul Ryan The Honorable Chris Van Hollen
Chairman Ranking Member
House Committee on the Budget House Committee on the Budget
207 Cannon HOB B-71 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Harold Rogers The Honorable Norman D. Dicks
Chairman Ranking Member
House Committee on Appropriations House Committee on Appropriations
H-307, The Capitol 1016 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairmen Ryan and Rogers, and Ranking Members Van Hollen and Dicks,
I write you today with grave concerns about suggested efforts to withhold funding from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) necessary to implement Public Law 111-353, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, of which I was the author. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the FDA will require $1.4 billion in appropriations over five years to implement the provisions of the law. While I understand the need for fiscal responsibility in this time of unprecedented budget deficits, it is imperative that we not compromise public safety in the name of being “penny-wise but pound foolish.” Recent events, such as eggs contaminated with Salmonella and ground beef contaminated with E. coli, have shown the pressing need to ensure our nation’s food supply remains safe to eat. Let me also add that each year, 48 million Americans contract a food-borne illness and, according to the CDC, 3,000 Americans die.
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act seeks to prevent costly food recalls for industry and food-borne illnesses among consumers. It grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authorities it needs to trace and prevent food safety problems from moving up the supply chain. It requires the FDA to inspect all food facilities more frequently, it gives the agency clear authority to mandate strong, enforceable regulations for food manufacturers, and it establishes a food traceback system to swiftly determine the sources of food-borne disease outbreaks. Moreover, the law also enhances the safety of imported food by allowing the FDA to measure compliance with U.S. food safety standards. Lastly, the law authorizes new tools for the FDA to enable them to act quickly during an emergency to access facility records and require recalls of tainted products.
Like you, I believe that we must weigh the economic impact of new regulations. Such examination must also take into account the impact new regulations have on the public health and well-being of the American people. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act was supported by a wide variety of consumer and industry stakeholders, and passed the House and Senate by strong, bipartisan margins. Furthermore, it is demonstrably clear that preventing the outbreaks of food-borne illness is far less costly to our government, business, and society than allowing them to occur. According to former FDA economist Robert Scharff, food-borne illnesses cost the US economy $152 billion every year. If we prevent even 10 percent of those annual outbreaks, this works out to saving our economy $15.2 billion. Thus, we need to ensure that the FDA has the full resources it needs to implement the provisions of PL 111-353, so that it can properly protect the nation’s food supply and serve its proper role as a preventative enterprise.
Therefore, I urge you to dedicate the full funding necessary for the FDA to implement the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. We must not allow easily-preventable outbreaks of food contamination or diseases to continue to occur as frequently as they have in recent years. I look forward to working with you on this and other critical budgetary issues; and should you need any further information or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or Kimberlee Trzeciak of my staff at (202) 225-4071.
With every good wish,
Sincerely,
John D. Dingell
Member of Congress
The President signed the Food Safety Modernization Act into law on January 4, 2011. This landmark reform, authored and fought for by Dingell, overhauls the nation’s food safety system; improves the capacity of FDA and manufacturers to prevent food safety problems; and empowers FDA to detect and immediately respond to food-borne illness outbreaks.
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