Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010 -- (House of Representatives - July 08, 2009)

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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the FY 2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations bill for the investments it makes in protecting the public health, bolstering food nutrition and conserving our natural resources.

I am pleased that the Food and Drug Administration will receive $2.338 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of $299 million over last year. Serious gaps have been exposed in FDA's ability to protect the American public due to recent outbreaks and recalls of food-borne illnesses. We need to ensure that the FDA has the necessary tools and resources to fulfill its vital mission in protecting the American public from unsafe products. This substantial investment in the FDA will significantly improve food and medical products safety. In addition, the bill fully funds the President's request for the Food Safety Inspection Service, providing over $1 billion for FSIS for the first time in history for the inspection of meat, poultry and egg products.

To help those low-income and elderly Americans struggling with rising food costs in this current economic crisis, this bill strengthens food nutrition programs by providing $61.4 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, an increase of $7.4 billion over last year's amount, and $7.5 billion for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. The funding the legislation provides will help an additional 700,000 women, infants, and children, which will increase WIC participation to over ten million people.

As Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, I am particularly pleased that the bill provides almost $4 million through the Natural Resources Conservation Services for Chesapeake Bay restoration activities. Providing adequate technical assistance to farmers, landowners, watershed groups and communities is critical to implementing the Farm Bill conservation programs that are the single most vital tool to improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay. This legislation provides $980.3 million for the Natural Resources Conservation Program to help face the demands for cleaner water, reduced soil erosion, and more wildlife habitat.

Mr. Chair, I commend Chairwoman DeLauro, Ranking Member Kingston and the rest of the subcommittee for its work on this legislation and urge my colleagues' support.

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