Snowe Hails Passage of Truck Weight, Potato Nutrition Rule Provisions in Appropriations Bill

Statement

U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today hailed the final passage of several key priorities for Maine's families and communities as part of an appropriations bill. Snowe applauded Congress's approval of equitable truck weights rules for Maine's interstates, a critical priority for interstate commerce and highway safety. Senator Snowe also lauded approval of provision preventing the U.S. Department of Agriculture from limiting the consumption of potatoes in our nation's schools. Snowe said passage of this legislation will remove critical regulatory burdens imposed by the federal government that stifle Maine's economy. The bill also included a Continuing Resolution to fund the government through December 16. The bill will now be sent to the White House for the President's signature.

Senator Snowe said:

"This legislation will remove key regulatory barriers imposed by the federal government, whose unintended consequences have adverse impacts on the safety and well-being of Maine's communities. During this time of economic challenges and rampant unemployment, it is vital Congress do everything it can to encourage the growth, health and prosperity for our families, communities and small businesses.

"The current inequitable treatment of truck weights on Maine's Interstate highways is a glaring example of a bureaucratic regulation creating both safety hazards on secondary roads and tangible barriers to job growth at a time when the nation's unemployment rate is stuck above 9 percent and Maine's mill towns are struggling to survive. This milestone is a tribute to the hard work and collaboration of many Mainers, and I applaud the enduring efforts to rectify this serious inequity for Maine commerce.

"I also commend my colleagues both in the House and Senate for recognizing our national imperative to prevent the USDA from moving forward with a rule that would limit potato consumption to one cup a week in public schools. The USDA's track record on this matter is as disturbing as it is wrong-headed. While I am a strong supporter of increasing the number of fruits and vegetables available to children in our public school meal programs, I believe the USDA's proposed mandate simply goes too far. The USDA's recommendations are not based on sound nutritional science and contradict their own 2005 and 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Limiting nutritional and cost-effective meals for our children when nine out of 10 Americans are not currently achieving the recommended vegetable and fruit consumption, would deny our nation's youth access to potatoes and other nutrient-rich foods as part of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs."

"Though Congress has now passed 3 of the 12 appropriations bills, it is unconscionable that we are left to vote on governmental funding measures at month-long intervals. There has been a complete budget breakdown in Congress, and the absence of a long-term spending plan is exacerbating our nation's $15 trillion debt burden. To effectively address the long-term debt and deficit crisis, we must immediately reduce the size and scope of government, starting with pragmatic and meaningful cuts to annual spending, and then go a step farther by instituting mechanisms such as a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution to force the government to do what its citizens already do -- live within its means."

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