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Message: <blockquote data-quote="redneck1861" data-source="post: 1391411" data-attributes="member: 14294">I have been emailing Oklahoma senator Tom Coburn and I have finally got a response and this is what he replied withThank you for contacting me about the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510). I am glad to have your views on this issue, and I apologize for my delayed response. As you may already know, the Senate passed S. 510 on November 30, 2010 by a vote of 73-25. I voted against this bill. Like many Oklahomans, I believe we must ensure that those who are selling food to American consumers are being held to the highest standards. However, this bill will only serve to grow the government, increase food prices, and drive small producers out of business without making our food any safer.  America has the safest food supply in the world-and it has been getting safer-because the free market and consumers have held bad actors accountable.  This bill destroys that balance and replaces common sense with the heavy hand of government. The legislation now moves to the House of Representatives, but there is a significant hurdle to its final passage: the United States Constitution. The Constitution dictates that all bills that raise revenue originate in the House rather than the Senate, which this bill did not. House procedure dictates that this bill be returned to the Senate with a "blue slip," indicating that the House cannot pass this version of the bill. I sincerely hope that members of Congress take their oath to the Constitution seriously.  Instead of addressing the problems that do exist and have contributed to food scares, such as a lack of coordination between agencies, Congress decided to spend billions of dollars, add 250 pages of new regulations, and give government new powers that will lead to unnecessary and costly food recalls.  The recent salmonella outbreak did not occur because we lacked this bill.  That scare occurred because regulations that were already on the books were not implemented. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act is a typical Washington response to a perceived crisis. In every area of government we see diminishing returns when government spends billions without any hope of improved outcomes.  Millions of Americans are fed up with "security theater" at the Department of Homeland Security and are about to witness an outbreak of "food-safety theater" from the FDA.  In the coming months and years consumers will see that more government does not mean safer food. During the debate on this bill, I offered two amendments, both of which failed after needing a two-thirds vote. My substitute amendment #4696 would have required better coordination among agencies like the FDA and USDA and helped implement better information technology systems.  It also would have leveraged the free market by utilizing private inspections, which would have allowed the FDA to focus on bad actors.   The second amendment I offered (#4697) would have invoked an earmark moratorium. Specifically, it would have established a point of order against any bill, joint resolution, floor amendment, amendment between Houses, or conference report that included any earmark, limited tax benefit or limited tariff benefit.The greatest national security threat facing our nation today is our national debt, and Congress refuses to acknowledge the depth of this challenge. Earmarks are not only wasteful but are terrible distraction for both parties. The sooner Congress gets rid of earmarks, the sooner we can go to work on the difficult task of getting our budget under control. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns with me. Best wishes! Sincerely, ATom A. Coburn, M.D.United States Senator TC: ler</blockquote>

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