[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3951]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        FOOD SAFETY BUDGET CUTS

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, as we continue to make our way through the 
budget process, we must ensure that all funding reductions we make are 
done in a responsible manner.
  While I strongly agree that we need to get our deficit under control, 
we cannot do it in a way that undermines public safety and job 
creation. For example, the Republican long-term CR will cut $88 million 
in funding from the Food Safety and Inspection Service. This little-
known cut will force food safety inspectors off the job for over 30 
days, resulting in shutdowns of plants across this Nation. The USDA has 
estimated that such cuts will result in an $11 billion loss in 
productivity. Additionally, meat and poultry production is supposed to 
grow over the next year. If we decrease funding for food safety, there 
will be fewer inspectors to examine our food and make sure it's 
acceptable for consumption.
  Mr. Speaker, this is just one example of how we need to dissect each 
cut and the impact that it will have in the real world. I hope this 
Chamber can come together and make sensible decisions when it comes to 
reducing our deficit.

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