Press Releases
Lucas Urges Members to Vote Against Rushing the Dingell-Waxman Bill Through Congress
Washington, DC,
July 27, 2009
MEDIA CONTACT: Today, Ranking Member Frank Lucas sent a letter to his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives urging them to not rush the Dingell-Waxman bill, H.R. 2749, through Congress. The bill is scheduled to be considered by the full House as early as tomorrow under suspension of the rules. This means that debate on this bill will be limited to twenty minutes, and there will be no opportunity to offer amendments. “Our nation has the safest food supply in the world. Even so, we must continually examine our food production and regulatory system, and move forward with changes that improve food safety. But to do so without thoughtful and careful deliberation is simply irresponsible. H.R. 2749 is the result of a flawed and incomplete process. It will lead to huge regulatory burdens on our nation’s farmers and ranchers, and it contains very little that will actually contribute to the goal of safer food. “During a recent Committee hearing on the general topic of food safety, not a single producer witness would support this bill in its current form. Now Members of the House are being asked to vote on this bill without consideration, debate, or the opportunity to improve it. Worst yet, we haven’t even seen the bill and we can’t even obtain a copy of it. “For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote against rushing H.R. 2749 through Congress. I urge my colleagues to vote against H.R. 2749. Our nation’s farmers, ranchers, packers, processors, retailers, and consumers deserve better,” said Ranking Member Frank Lucas. |