On February 8, 2013, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said that sequestration will affect the nation’s food safety. If Congress fails to act, on March 1, 2013 budget cuts go into effect across the board in the United States. “Across-the-board cuts for virtually every agency, every line item of every agency,” will occur, he stated. … Read more
Consumers Union, an arm of Consumer Reports, has called on the EPA to ban arsenic-containing pesticides. A National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council (NAS/NRC) meeting being held today “will be the start of a process that could delay government action for at least three years on the risks of arsenic,” according to the press release. … Read more
A new National Food Policy Scorecard that shows how members of the 112th Congress voted on issues including food safety, hunger, farm subsidies, organics, food labeling and more shows the top 20 spots are occupied by Democrats with100 percent voting records and the bottom 20 spots are all Republicans with voting records of 14 percent … Read more
On Friday September 14, 2012, the White House Office of Budget and Management (OMB) released a report on the possible effects of sequestration on food safety, Medicare, FBI, FAA, and education. Sequestration is the across-the-board cuts that will kick in if Congress does not pass a deficit reduction bill by early January 2013. The cuts are part of … Read more
Partisan issues have kept Congress from taking on the 2012 Farm Bill and now time is running out. GOP leaders decided not to schedule it for floor action next week, which leaves Congress just four legislative days to consider the $957 billion bill before it adjourns for the August recess. The decision drew head scratches … Read more