Congress broke for the August recess on Friday and won’t be back in the Capitol until Sept. 8. One of the many pieces of legislative business left at a standstill is the Fiscal Year 2015 agriculture appropriations bill, which funds the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug
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House of Representatives
House Debates Agriculture Appropriations Bill
The House of Representatives debated the agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year 2015 on Wednesday. An amendment regarding funding for the Agriculture Department’s Office of Inspector General joined the Appropriations Committee’s amendments on horse slaughter and Chinese-processed poultry. Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Jared Huffman (D-CA) offered an amendment to…
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Chinese Chicken, Horse Slaughter Amendments Added to House Ag Appropriations Bill
School nutrition standards were the central focus of Thursday’s House Appropriations Committee markup. Democrats attempted to remove a provision from the agriculture appropriations bill that will give certain schools a waiver on compliance with nutrition standards. After an hour of debate, the amendment introduced by the subcommittee’s ranking member,…
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House Subcommittee Airs Out FSIS Controversies During Budget Hearing
At Thursday’s hearing with Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety Brian Ronholm, members of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee addressed many of the controversies currently dogging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Most discussed was the proposed modernization of the poultry inspection rule. While several…
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Taylor: FDA Needs More Resources for FSMA Implementation
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not have enough resources to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine, said Wednesday in an appearance before the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. In answering a rapid succession of yes…
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Proposed House Bill Would Fund FDA During Shutdown
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote today on a bill that would fund the Food and Drug Administration during the government shutdown. The so-called Food and Drug Safety Act was introduced last Thursday by House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL). The bill is the latest in a…
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House Farm Bill Future Uncertain
After the House Agriculture Committee completed markup and cleared its version of the farm bill late into the night on Wednesday, Speaker of the House John Boehner on Thursday told reporters that he has not made any decisions about the bill coming to the floor.
“I think Chairman [Frank Lucas…
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Administration Threatens Veto for House Appropriations Bill
The Obama administration is threatening to veto a house agriculture spending bill that would cut funding for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and provide a small increase for food safety funding. The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a Statement of Administration Policy on Monday that strongly…
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House, Senate Continue to Disagree on FDA Appropriations
As the budget process in Washington rolls along, the House and Senate remain at odds over doling out resources that impact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The House on Wednesday released the allocation for discretionary spending for FDA and agriculture programs for fiscal year 2013, which is $19.4 billion…
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House Clears Budget Bill With Cuts to Food Safety
After three days and more than 25 hours of debate, the House Thursday approved an agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012 with significant cuts to federal food safety programs, to the dismay of food safety reform advocates.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration — which is charged with implementing…
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