Full-year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I know the great work that Chairman Dingell did on this effort. Unfortunately, I cannot support the continuing resolution food safety effort.

The good work we did here in the House that was sent over to the Senate, the Senate amendments make it a flawed measure. This process should be based on science and not based on miles and sales. For those reasons, I, unfortunately, will oppose the resolution.

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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Emeritus Dingell for his support. I rise today to reluctantly oppose the Continue Resolution and attached Food Safety bill.

Unfortunately leadership has chosen to attach a gravely-flawed food safety bill to this continuing resolution which I cannot support.

Don't misunderstand--I am a huge supporter of food safety reform, I have worked on for almost 4 years.

However--the Senate poisoned our efforts by attaching arbitrary exemptions that ignore risk and leave gaping holes in our food safety system--through the Tester amendment.

I wholeheartedly support protecting our family farmers--ensuring that they are not overburdened with paperwork and regulation.

But this process should be based on science--not based on miles and sales, therefore I am voting no.

Does anyone here believe food poisoning is less dangerous if it comes from a small farm rather than a large one?

Even more concerning is that these regulations have trade implications.

With a great number of farms in Canada and Mexico well within the 275 mile threshold, we will be providing a loophole large enough to drive a Mexican truck through.

I'd like to remind my colleagues that the Serrano peppers that sickened over 1,000 people and devastated a wrongfully-accused tomato industry came from a small distributor in Texas--imported from a small farm in Mexico.

I ask my colleagues--did the size of this farm prevent those men, women and children from becoming ill?

No. Of course it didn't.

Because contaminated food can and does come from any size and any location and is no less deadly in some cases if consumed.

That is why I have worked on food safety and will continue to work on food safety.

And that is, unfortunately, why I am unable to support the Senate food safety bill with the Tester amendment included in its current form.

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