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Chair: Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
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Chair: B Collin Peterson (D-MN)
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B Joe Baca (D-CA)
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B* Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
- Bobby Bright (D-AL)
B* Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
- Travis Childers (D-MS)
B Jim Costa (D-CA)
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- 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)
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B Jim Marshall (D-GA)
P Eric Massa (D-NY)
B Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
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B Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
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B David Scott (D-GA)
B Zachary Space (D-OH)
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- 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

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P Chair: George Miller (D-CA)
- Jason Altmire (D-PA)
- Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
- Timothy Bishop (D-NY)
P Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
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- Susan Davis (D-CA)
P Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
P Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
P Phil Hare (D-IL)
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P Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Rush Holt (D-NJ)
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P Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
P Dave Loebsack (D-IA)
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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)
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P Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
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- Buck McKeon (R-CA)
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- Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA)
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- Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
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- 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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John Kerry

Bill to Mandate GMO Research for Africa/S. Asia Passes Unanimously

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 09:37:08 AM PDT

Yesterday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved S.384 The Global Food Security Act of 2009, which was sponsored by Dick Lugar (R-IN), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Bob Casey (D-PA). In my view, this is not good news. The bill specifies that the U.S. MUST fund GMOs and biotechnology. Additionally, the hearing about the bill was so heinous that the bill's intent is crystal clear - and it's not good.

UPDATE: In light of some of the very funny foodie April Fools jokes going around, I would like to clarify that this post is NOT an April Fools.

UPDATE #2: Elanor Starmer on The Ethicurean weighs in on this issue here. I recommend you check it out!

There's More... :: (8 Comments, 1086 words in story)

More Non-Help for Africa, Courtesy of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Mar 24, 2009 at 11:16:30 AM PDT

The Senate Foreign Relations committee held an absolutely heinous hearing on global hunger today. It was very specifically focused on hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Here are the true things they said (most of the rest after this is B.S.):

  • There are 800mil to 1bil hungry people in the world and 2/3 of them are in Sub-Saharan Africa and S. Asia.
  • The world's population is growing
  • Many of the hungry are farmers in Africa, many of whom are women, uneducated, and powerless.
  • Farmers in Africa lack water for irrigation, petroleum-based fertilizer, GMO or hybrid seeds, pesticides, electricity, and any machinery whatsoever. 70% also live more than 30 minutes walking distance from the nearest road, effectively cutting them off from any markets.
  • Global hunger is not just a moral issue, it's also a national security risk.
  • White House leadership will be critical in any effort fighting global hunger.

After that, we started to get into chemical-ag-public-relationsland. More below the flip.

There's More... :: (3 Comments, 1748 words in story)
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