[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 PASS TRADE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2005

  (Mr. SALAZAR asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. beef industry is a critical 
economic component of rural communities. The safety standards of the 
USDA allows the U.S. to provide the safest food supply in the world.
  In 2003, Japan imposed a ban on U.S. beef products after the 
discovery of a cow infected with mad cow disease that never entered the 
food chain. Since that time, USDA has implemented stronger, 
scientifically sound BSE controls, and has ramped up its enforcement, 
yet Japan continues to keep their borders closed to U.S. beef.
  This unwarranted embargo by Japan has caused significant impacts to 
the U.S. cattle producers and beef processors. Today I am introducing 
legislation that will call on the U.S. Trade Representative to impose 
sanctions on Japan if they do not open their borders to our Nation's 
beef by December 31, 2005. Other Asian countries have since opened 
their borders to U.S. beef, and it is time for Japan to do the same. 
Therefore, I am asking my colleagues to support this legislation and 
bring an end to Japan's beef embargo.

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