It’s always easier to add than to subtract in Washington, so the Obama White House realizes it has an uphill battle on its hands to get Congress to reinstate the authority past presidents have had to streamline government.
If the president succeeds, you can expect some consolidation among agencies that regulate food and agriculture in the United States. The food industry has been buzzing about remarks the president made January 13 at a news conference in the East Room of the White House.
The first example he gave in his speech about his wishes to consolidate authority in the executive branch of government centered on food.
“There are more than a dozen agencies dealing with food safety. My favorite example – which I mentioned in last year’s State of the Union address – as it turns out, the Interior Department is in charge of salmon in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them in saltwater,” the president said.
He went on to note how politics – not common sense – was used in making some of the decisions that shape food safety oversight and many other regulatory bodies. The salmon discrepancy, for instance, came about when President Nixon was punishing the Interior Secretary for criticizing him about the Vietnam War.
As the president says, our economy has fundamentally changed, as has the world, but our government and our agencies have not. It awaits to be seen how far President Obama will get in his quest to achieve the authority he would need to make unilateral changes, but the food industry and a wide range of Americans interested in better food safety will be watching.
