Combating Chronic Wasting Disease

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I am an avid outdoorsman. In November and December, if I have time, I tend to spend it out in the woods, deer hunting. This is a popular passion among many Pennsylvanians as well as Americans across our great country. Nothing beats those early mornings heading out to the woods in hopes you will return successful.

But our deer are currently threatened by chronic wasting disease. This is a contagious, neurological disease affecting deer, elk, and moose that is always fatal. CWD has been detected in 25 States and was first discovered in Pennsylvania deer nearly 10 years ago.

Working across the aisle, my colleagues and I introduced H.R. 5608, the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act, which unanimously passed out of the House Agriculture Committee.

By working closely with stakeholders, we developed a bill to take us one step closer to better understanding the genetic implications of the disease and developing policies best suited to solve the problem.

Specifically, this legislation authorizes $70 million to split evenly between CWD management and research efforts through USDA cooperative agreements.

The research funds are authorized to be spent on testing and detecting CWD in live cervids, noncervids, and the environment. Additionally, these funds are authorized for research of genetic resistance to chronic wasting disease, sustainable cervid harvest management practices, and any additional factors of local CWD emergence.

The management section authorizes funding for State or Tribal wildlife agencies and departments of agriculture based on various funding priorities, including the highest incidences of CWD, areas demonstrating greatest financial commitments to addressing CWD, efforts to develop CWD programs and policies, areas of greatest risk of being introduced to CWD, and areas responding to new outbreaks.

This bill also includes key education provisions in which USDA, State, and Tribal agencies are authorized to develop materials to inform the public on chronic wasting disease.

Last but certainly not least, H.R. 5608 directs USDA reviewal of the herd certification program within 18 months.

Madam Speaker, we need all hands on deck to help combat this disease, maintain a healthy deer population, and protect our beloved elk range-- certainly, our elk range in Pennsylvania, which is near and dear to me. It is imperative we better understand the transmission of, resistance to, and diagnosis of CWD.

I am really pleased that, in December, this House passed H.R. 5608 with strong bipartisan support, marking an important step in that direction. Today, we wait for the Senate to take up this time-sensitive bill. It is my belief our colleagues in the Senate recognize the urgency and the potential negative economic impacts of CWD if it continues to spread at this rate and work toward its passage.

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