Notable Diaries

- Recent Congressional Hearings
- 2008 By The Numbers
- The 2007 Ag Census
- Cuba Diaries
- Mexico Diaries
- Why I Oppose GMOs
- My Visit to Growing Power
- My Trip to a Hog Confinement
- Why We Grow So Much Corn and Soy
- How the Chicken Gets to Your Plate

Politicians To Know

USDA

Senate

Agriculture
Chair: Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
- Max Baucus (D-MT)
- Michael Bennet (D-CO)
- Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
- Bob Casey (D-PA)
- Kent Conrad (D-ND)
- Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Pat Leahy (D-VT)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
- Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- John Cornyn (R-TX)
- Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
- Mike Johanns (R-NE)
- Dick Lugar (R-IN)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Pat Roberts (R-KS)
- John R. Thune (R-SD)

Appropriations
Chair: Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: Herb Kohl (D-WI)
- Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
- Dick Durbin (D-IL)
- Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Tim Johnson (D-SD)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Jack Reed (D-RI)
- Robert Bennett (R-UT)
- Christopher Bond (R-MO)
- Sam Brownback (R-KS)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Arlen Specter (R-PA)

Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions
- Chris Dodd (D-CT)

Senate Hunger Caucus

House

Agriculture
Chair: B Collin Peterson (D-MN)
V. Chair: B Tim Holden (D-PA)
B Joe Baca (D-CA)
- John Boccieri (D-OH)
B* Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
- Bobby Bright (D-AL)
B* Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
- Travis Childers (D-MS)
B Jim Costa (D-CA)
- Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
- Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA)
B Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)
- Debbie Halvorson (D-IL)
B Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD)
- Steve Kagen (D-WI)
- Larry Kissell (D-NC)
B Frank Kratovil (D-MD)
- Betsy Markey (D-CO)
B Jim Marshall (D-GA)
P Eric Massa (D-NY)
B Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
- Walt Minnick (D-ID)
B Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
- Mark Schauer (D-MI)
- Kurt Schrader (D-OR)
B David Scott (D-GA)
B Zachary Space (D-OH)
- Timothy Walz (D-MN)
- Frank Lucas (R-OK)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- K. Michael Conaway (R-TX)
- Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)
- Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
- Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
- Sam Graves (R-MO)
- Timothy Johnson (R-IL)
- Steve King (R-IA)
- Robert Latta (R-OH)
- Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
- Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
- Jerry Moran (R-KS)
- Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Mike Rogers (R-AL)
- Jean Schmidt (R-OH)
- Adrian Smith (R-NE)
- Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
*=House Organic Caucus member
B=Blue Dog Democrat

Appropriations
Chair: Dave Obey (D-WI)
Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: P Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
- Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
* Allen Boyd (D-FL)
- Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
*P Sam Farr (D-CA)
*P Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY)
P Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
P Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
- Jack Kingston (R-GA)
- Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
- Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
* Tom Latham (R-IA)
*=House Organic Caucus member

P=Congressional Progressive Caucus

Education and Labor
P Chair: George Miller (D-CA)
- Jason Altmire (D-PA)
- Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
- Timothy Bishop (D-NY)
P Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
- Joe Courtney (D-CT)
- Susan Davis (D-CA)
P Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
P Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
P Phil Hare (D-IL)
- Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
P Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Rush Holt (D-NJ)
- Dale Kildee (D-MI)
P Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
P Dave Loebsack (D-IA)
- Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
P Donald Payne (D-NJ)
- Jared Polis (D-CO)
- Robert Scott (D-VA)
- Joe Sestak (D-PA)
- Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
P John Tierney (D-MA)
- Dina Titus (D-NV)
- Paul Tonko (D-NY)
P Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
- David Wu (D-OR)
- Buck McKeon (R-CA)
- Judy Biggert (R-IL)
- Rob Bishop (R-UT)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- Michael Castle (R-DE)
- Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
- Luis F Fortuno (R-PR)
- Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
- Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
- Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA)
- John Kline (R-MN)
- Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
- Tom McClintock (R-CA)
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
- Thomas Petri (R-WI)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Todd Russell Platts (R-PA)
- Tom Price (R-GA)
- Mark Souder (R-IN)
- GT Thompson (R-PA)
- Joe Wilson (R-SC)
P=Congressional Progressive Caucus

House Organic Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus

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H.R.875

HR 875 Myths and Facts Update

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Mar 31, 2009 at 11:42:25 AM PDT

I think it's time for a re-posting of H.R.875 (The Food Safety Modernization Act) myths and facts. These rumors just won't die!

There's More... :: (10 Comments, 489 words in story)

HR 875 Rumors Will Destroy Our Credibility

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Mar 23, 2009 at 17:08:26 PM PDT

H.R.875 internet rumors are out of control. Yesterday Marion Nestle finally spoke up with the truth. The very same truth that some of us have been shouting at the top of our lungs for a full month.

Let me tell you a story. A friend of mine lost her husband to drug side effects from Zoloft. He committed suicide. Prior to taking the drug he wasn't depressed. He had started a new job and was having some anxiety. He went in to see the doctor for insomnia (due to anxiety) and left with a sample pack of Zoloft. Five weeks later, he was dead.

My friend is incredibly courageous and she has testified before Congress to advocate for reforms that would make people taking prescription drugs more aware of side effect risks. After her testimony, she told me, a lobbyist for the drug companies went to every single legislator on the committee and told them that she was a Scientologist. Scientologists, nutty bunch that they are, oppose antidepressants. My friend is NOT a Scientologist, she's a grieving wife. But her position was discredited because a bunch of wackos took on her issue and ran with it in all the wrong directions. She had to go back and clean up the damage, explaining she wasn't a Scientologist and hoping everyone would believe her.

THAT is what is happening to us here. We've got a group of nuts out there spreading lies (and some well-meaning, unsuspecting people have believed those lies), and it will end up only discrediting us. Now when I write a letter to a legislator about the food safety reforms that are upcoming, I have to wonder if my letter will get tossed in with the crazy pile.

Furthermore, check out this article by Philip Brasher. He makes it sound as if we are asking the nation to choose between food safety and organics. That's not the case at all.

We are FOR food safety. We are FOR food safety laws that will prevent the next Peanut Corporation of America from killing people, sickening people, and causing enormous economic fallout. But we also recognize that for the 2-3% of food bought directly from farmers, the traceability mechanism is already in place and does not need to be augmented by the government. And when a farmer eats the food he or she grows, that's a mechanism of food safety enforcement stronger than any law the government can pass. Of course we ask that the government keep that in mind, but we're not standing as a roadblock to fixing our nation's food safety as a whole. We support that.

Discuss :: (7 Comments)

Food & Water Watch' s Statement on H.R. 875 and the Food Safety Bills

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Mar 13, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM PDT

Food & Water Watch is one of my favorite organizations, and they've just put out a statement on food safety legislation. It meshes pretty well with what I've posted here before, but I wanted to share it anyway. Take a look below if you are interested.

There's More... :: (12 Comments, 773 words in story)

The Truth About HR 875 "The Bill That Will Kill All Farms and Eat Your Babies"

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Mar 11, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

The other day I posted about HR 875, the Food Safety Modernization Act, a bill by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). I didn't give details on the bill, and I also didn't mention that YES, the bill has some flaws. So here's a little bit more info on the bill. Overall, it's not so awful. Consumers Union, Food and Water Watch, and Organic Consumers Association all either support it or see a flaw or two in it but basically aren't panicked.

There's More... :: (11 Comments, 1530 words in story)