Bush Works Quickly to Undermine Food Safety Laws

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Bush Working to Reverse Food Safety Rules Washington, D.C. – Only three days into his new job as President and of the United States, and George W. Bush is already rolling back health and safety initiatives that are widely supported by Americans. The Washington Post reported today that the new Bush Administration has wasted no time in attempting to turn back the clock on safety standards that protect families from potentially life-threatening contamination and food poisoning. "Within only hours of taking office, Bush put potentially life-saving safety rules on hold," DNC National Chair Joe Andrew said. "Whether it's imposing new restrictions on women's right to choose or delaying new health, safety and environmental initiatives, Americans are starting to ask what happened to the 'compassionate' George W. Bush they saw on Inauguration Day." According to the Post, "The regulations called for more stringent testing by plants producing hot dogs, ready-to- eat meats and cheeses to detect listeria bacteria." According to the FDA, listeria causes 2,500 serious illnesses and 500 deaths annually. Andrew noted that Republicans in the Gingrich Congress also tried to undo the nation's health and safety laws in 1995. "Bush is ripping a page from the Gingrich playbook, when the former Speaker tried to reverse decades of improvements in food safety during the 104th Congress," Andrew said. "Fortunately, President Clinton blocked Republicans' attempt to weaken food safety standards. George W. Bush could put the welfare of the public at risk by delaying these regulations," Andrew said.

Bush Actions Mimic Extreme Republican Agenda of Yesteryear Republicans have fought funding and regulation of food safety since 1994. Bush's actions to hold up food safety regulations is another indication of his support for the extreme GOP agenda. Today's Washington Post reported that, "Meat safety regulations proposed by the Department of Agriculture in the waning hours of the Clinton administration last week are on hold as part of a broad review ordered by President Bush within hours of his taking office, officials said yesterday." [Washington Post, 1/24/01] REPUBLICANS UNDERFUNDED ADMINISTRATION'S REQUEST FOR 1998 FOOD SAFETY MONEY. In 1998, the Republican-controlled House only approved $16.8 million for food safety, even though President Clinton requested $101 million for a series of food safety initiatives. [Chicago Sun-Times, 7/20/98] REPUBLICAN SENATE REJECTED PRESIDENT CLINTON'S REQUEST FOR EXTRA FOOD SAFETY FUNDS. Despite recent outbreaks of salmonella in breakfast cereal and deadly strains of E. coli bacteria in meat and juices, a Senate Appropriations subcommittee rejected President Clinton's request for $96 million in funds for new food safety programs in the 1999 budget. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) said, "We used to worry about whether or not every child in America got a school lunch. Now we have to worry about whether or not our children can safely eat that lunch." [Washington Post, 6/12/98] SENATE RESISTANCE TO FOOD SAFETY FUNDING HELD UP THE BUDGET. In 1996, Republican resistance to the administration's request for food safety money was one of the issues that held up completion of the budget. [Associated Press, 9/26/96]

-- Meat Safety Regulations on Hold (mad@bush.disease), February 02, 2001

Answers

Read the above link to see what the Clinton School Lunch program has brought us.

-- (JackHorner@my.corner), February 02, 2001.

MONEY talks--------justce-----walks

pestilence & plagues approacheth!!

-- al-d (dogs@zianet.com), February 02, 2001.


Hey Meat,

Whoever you are today, nobody's buying this constant Bush will kill the universe thing. Cloned responses notwithstanding, your shit is E. coli incarnate. Try another forum.

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), February 03, 2001.


Dumbya is a meathead!!

-- bwaahahaaahaaa!! (dumbya @ 5 beers short. of a 6 pack), February 03, 2001.

Carlos you're so transparent.

"I don't like what you printed because it goes against my preconceived notions. So just find another forum. We don't want the truth here."

Carlos epitomizes the fifth grade debating skills of the Republican loonies.

-- Loser Carlos (fish@brain.com), February 03, 2001.



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