Routine Food Inspections Stopped, While Representative McCaul Votes Today to Continue the Trump Shutdown
Today, on the 20th day of President Trump’s shutdown, Democrats once again voted unanimously to re-open the government – this time by passing a bill to provide funding for the United States Department of Agriculture. But instead of putting aside partisan differences to fund basic services like routine food inspections, which is a critical part of this bill, Representative McCaul voted in lockstep with Washington Republicans against making sure the food on kitchen tables across America is safe to eat.
“For Representative McCaul, nothing trumps allegiance to the party line in Washington, even when it comes to funding programs as basic as food safety inspections. When parents feed their children, they want to know it hasn’t been contaminated by bugs, rodents or other contagions, but McCaul voted to put partisan games ahead of the safety of our families,” said DCCC spokesperson Evan Lukaske. “President Trump’s shutdown is being enabled by rubberstamp Republicans like McCaul. On top of threatening $9 billion in economic output and forcing 800,000 Americans to go without a paycheck, now Republicans are putting the health and safety of every American family at risk.”
McCaul’s vote today against funding the government comes on the heels of widespread reporting that “[t]he Food and Drug Administration has stopped routine food safety inspections of seafood, fruits, vegetables and many other foods at high risk of contamination because of the federal government’s shutdown.” That’s no small thing. According to Sarah Sorscher, an expert with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, this impacts all of us: “you should be very worried about your food safety, in part because the work that’s not being done right now is the work that’s needed to prevent the next outbreak of foodborne illness.”
Similar releases went to Representatives Devin Nunes (CA-22), Duncan Hunter (CA-50), Andy Barr (KY-06), Rob Woodall (GA-07), Steve King (IA-04), Mike Bost (IL-12), Ann Wagner (MO-02), Greg Gianforte (MT-AL), Ted Budd (NC-13), Don Bacon (NE-02), Chris Collins (NY-27), Steve Chabot (OH-01), Troy Balderson (OH-12), Scott Perry (PA-10), Mike Kelly (PA-16), Michael McCaul (TX-10), Chip Roy (TX-21), Pete Olson (TX-22), Kenny Marchant (TX-24), and John Carter (TX-31).
###