House Passes S. 510 Back to the Senate

December 13, 2010

For those of you who haven't already heard, the House lame-duck leadership amended the “Continuing Resolution” Funding Bill - intended to keep the federal government running for another year - to include the language from S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Unfortunately the House rushed to action last Wednesday and passed it, sending it along to the Senate. The Senate plans on considering the Continuing Resolution after it has dispensed with the bill to extend tax cuts, so further action could happen as soon as today, Monday, December 13th. 

It is quite unusual to attach such an initiative to a bill authorizing continued government funding and operations.

And so, back to the Senate we go. Make no mistake - your efforts are having an impact, and we can't give up now! The House vote was very close: 212 to 205. This is a reflection of how your thousands of messages have helped a significant number of legislators stand firm in the face of pressure from big Agribusiness.

We have to keep holding their feet to the fire and stop this dangerous policy from becoming law. The Senate can still strip S. 510 from the Continuing Resolution before passing it. Congress needs to recognize that:

--Combining a controversial regulatory bill with the Continuing Resolution to fund government operations is inappropriate at best, and at worst, shameful.

--It is even more disturbing that this has been done in spite of thousands and thousands of voters who have made it clear they believe that the federal government is too big and must stop over-regulating.

--S. 510 must be stripped from the Continuing Resolution so that Congress can decide to continue funding at a certain level without muddying the process with extraneous matters.

--We will be monitoring the Senate and expect them to act from principle and not the language from S. 510.

Please take a moment now and use the form below to help us kill S. 510 once and for all.