By Sen. Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden on May 29 raising strong concerns about the Department’s plan to reorganize the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
“We write with serious concern regarding the announced reorganization of the [FSIS],” the senators wrote to Vaden. “Rather than strengthening the agency’s effectiveness, this reorganization poses a risk to FSIS’s core mission of protecting public health and ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply.”
They continued their letter of concern by listing the problems that could occur from this reorganization.
“Losses in staff and institutional expertise as a result of this relocation could delay the identification and containment of outbreaks involving pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, or Listeria, allowing contaminated products to remain in commerce longer and increasing illnesses nationwide,” the senators stated. “Reduced coordination amongst FSIS and other food safety and public health agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, and state partners could also slow traceback investigations and public communication during multistate outbreaks, when rapid response is critical to prevent additional illnesses. Instead of moving its employees across the country, FSIS should be focused on maintaining food safety. Overall, this reorganization threatens to undermine FSIS’s effectiveness and weakens an agency that American consumers rely on every day.”
The letter is led by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter is signed by U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
