You Are Changing Minds in DC!

Capitol BuildingHere’s proof that the political process can work: Capitol Hill is talking about what ANH-USA supporters have been able to accomplish with the dietary supplement and food safety bills. But there’s much more work to be done.

A seasoned Capitol Hill observer said this past week, “It was ANH-USA supporters who stopped the anti-supplement McCain bill.” You also saw to it that the Codex provision of the Senate Food Safety Bill was amended and that Waxman FTC Power Expansion Provision was kept out of the Finance Reform bill. Now, working together, we have gotten the Leahy bill amended in a very important way—it will no longer be possible to use the bill’s language to send a supplement producer to jail for ten years just for citing some legitimate science. That’s a big improvement.
Even so, the Leahy bill needs to be amended further—it’s still a bad bill. We have been in contact with Senator Leahy’s office and are working through what should be removed and included in the Food Accountability Act, so that the real perpetrators of foodborne illnesses and crimes can be prosecuted without giving the FDA a green light to go after completely innocent food and supplement producers.
You may have read elsewhere that both the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) and Leahy’s bill have been “stopped.” That is incorrect. The Food Safety bill is definitely a priority for the Senate—it’s third on their list of bills they want to consider—and the only question is whether they can get to it and meld it with the very bad House bill before this Congress expires. Congress has just adjourned, and its members are headed back home to campaign. When they return on November 15, they will have only a short time—called a “lame duck” session”—to pass whatever bills they can before the new Congress is sworn in on January 3.
One red flag: Congress will need to approve a massive omnibus funding bill before the end of the year to keep the government running. And it is commonplace for smaller bills to be tacked on as riders totally unrelated to government funding. Because the spending bill has to be passed, lawmakers sometimes sneak in controversial bills that might be defeated if they were considered separately. So we have to be very watchful.
Since Congress is not in session and there is no one in DC reading constituent mail, we’re not asking you to send any more Action Alert messages to the Senate for the time being. But get ready and mark November 15 on your calendar for when Congress comes back to town. We’ll be sure to ask you to take further action with Congress then.

19 comments

    1. You mean “Don’t” get it passed. Yes Americans lives are at stake if this bill isn’t properly altered or defeated. Preferably the latter.

      1. If that Bill passes without Tester’s ammendment, we may see the complete take over of the food production industry by big business. This could be the decisive bill between wether or not the U.S. has a food supply in fifty years. Please ask your senator not to pass this bill. Genetically modified foods can sustain the country only for another decade or two at most, please don’t let this bill come between our country and the small farms needed to feed it.

    2. wow! read the legislation and think about it. Do you really want to make it a crime to grow a non-hybrid tomato and sell it to locals who want a real tomato?

    3. Ida, do you REALIZE what this food bill has in it? I think you’d BEST go back and read it. It is NOT to the benefit of those that take food seriously and CRIMINALIZES those that truly care about our food and farming it in a way that does NOT damage Mother Earth and our environment.
      Read BEFORE you type, don’t just type and create HYPE!
      The company that put out the BAD eggs only get their hands slapped — why? B/c it’s big AGRIBIZ and they feed politicians hundreds of thousands of dollars — you see, in case you haven’t yet, it’s ALL about money….
      Or, are you an PROVOCATEUR? A gov’t plant that just wants to create confusion? If you are, go AWAY….you’ve no place here!

  3. My supplements have for years been a staple to my well being – I’ve written to McCain about this. I’m 86 and going strong! Don’t let the bureaucrats infringe on my good HEALTH needs!

  4. I am so happy to hear the Leahy bill has been amended to this point. I for one am getting tired of having to fight for my freedom to chose how I want to take care of myself – in terms of supplements and diet. However, I won’t give up and I continue to encourage my supplement using friends to do the same. We need to educate our congress (?Sen. McCain) on how important this is to so many people. I had a major stroke and was put on various medications that made me sicker. My body seems to reject pharmaceuticals. I began using supplements supervised by my chiropractor, and eating a diet correct for my blood type. Today, my blood is great and I do not take any pharmaceutical medications. K in WI

  6. Thank you for making it easy for us all to participate and make Congress aware of our health concerns. I appreciate your giving us the ability to send a message with either your own, or our, content regarding the subject matter. Showing us how we can all help make the changes we want, not only in health reform for natural medicine but government in general, gives me and hopefully other participants powerful results.
    I feel like I’m getting my power back!
    Thank You,
    Joyce Hansen
    [email protected]

  7. Harry Reid responded to my “action alert” with his usual irrelevance, but he did say that because of the recent salmonella infection, it was important to harshly punish those who “knowingly” poison our food supply. What is with these idiots, esp Reid? There have been less than 10 deaths that they could attribute to E. coli and salmonella over the last few years, and all the “outbreaks” were either in processed meats, and large factory farms(ie ConAgra and Monsanto). Yet, the FDA and the FTC go after cherry growers, POM wonderful, and various supplements, which are food for “falsely” claiming health benefits (which they define as misbranding and adulteratling) But NOTHING is done to drug companies who push and advertise drugs knowing that they kill and maim, suppressing the negative evidence, even perjuring themselves before Congress and when caught, nothing but fines, sometimes. The largest fine levied (in the billions) was 1/10th of 1% of the PROFIT they made on a drug that killed more than 100,000 that they admitted to. The victims families got nothing. Yet the FDA and the FTC are given police powers (NOT constitutional) which they Only apply to supplements and food. I want Congress out of my food supply and supplements!

  9. The food fascists never rest.
    Funny how it’s okay to kill people by the carload with pharmaceuticals. Tens of THOUSANDS die and nothing is done, but they’ll use a salmonella outbreak at a factory farm that killed a handful to pass their fascist legislation. Because, after all, “American lives are at risk.”
    Yeah, nice try Ira. I’ll look out for myself if it’s all the same to you

  11. I also want Congress out of my food supply and supplements!! I need the supplements for
    my vision health,heart health and bone health; and for sugar control.

  12. Well said Handsoffmyhealth… I’ll be ready to sign more petitions come the 15th! Keep up the good work ANH. =)

  13. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to participate in supporting these important causes. Without voter input, Washington believes it can do anything it decides to do, regardless of how misguided it might be. We MUST “keep their feet to the fire” when they propose to change laws with which we disagree. Let’s stick together and KEEP FIGHTING!

  14. Be Ready for the Lame Duck Session Food Safety is on the list to Ram through like S510 and others we must be Ready to flood there inboxes

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