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Policy Directions welcomes Dr. Lester Crawford as our
new senior counsel.
For more information please visit the new
PDI
website at www.policydirections.com.
Rep. John Boehner Elected House
Majority Leader
Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), chair of the House Committee on
Education & the Workforce and vice chair of the House Agriculture Committee,
was elected GOP majority leader this week. He replaces Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX),
defeating acting leader Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Rep. John Shadegg
(R-AZ), and Rep. Jim Ryun (R-KS).
Insiders were surprised Boehner, who chaired the
Republican Conference in the House eight years ago, took the hotly
contested leadership seat away
from Blunt on the second ballot. On the first ballot, Shadegg
received 40 votes and Ryun, a surprise candidate, garnered only two
votes. Under election procedures, the second ballot was between the
top two vote getters. Boehner’s first ballot tally of 79 votes
surged to 122 with Shadegg’s and Ryun’s departure; Blunt
garnered 109 votes. Blunt will remain House majority whip. Boehner
will give up the chair of Education & Workplace as the new majority
leader, with Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) most likely
to assume the chair.
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Few Legislative Days in '06
With both the House and Senate back in D.C., the 2006
legislative calendar is shaping up to be short and fast paced. Both
the House and Senate have set a target adjournment date of Oct. 6,
designed to give lawmakers a month to campaign before Election Day.
Congress is expected to be in D.C. for about 60 days of legislative
business.
The 2006 House & Senate Schedule includes the following recesses:
Feb. 20 - 24, Presidents' Day – Both Chambers
March 20 – 24, St. Patrick's Day – Both Chambers
April 10 – 21, Easter – Both Chambers
May 29 – June 2, Memorial Day – Both Chambers
July 3 – 7, July Fourth – Both Chambers
July 31 – Sept. 4 – House Chambers
Aug. 7 – Sept. 4, August Recess – Senate Chambers
A compressed election-year legislative calendar and Republican interest
in pushing campaign themes will leave little time to finish must-pass
FY07 appropriations bills and might force Congress into a post-election "lame
duck" session. Any unfinished spending bills may be pushed into
a post-election omnibus package.
Appropriators in the House and Senate expect an aggressive schedule,
beginning markups in May in the House and June in the Senate, and aiming
to complete bills individually. But much depends on GOP leaders' floor
agenda, beginning with the lobbying overhaul that has been building
momentum with the indictment last year of Jack Abramoff.
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President to Send FY07 Budget to Congress
Next Week; Sen.
Lincoln Urges Farmers As Priority
On Monday, Feb. 6 the White House will send to Congress
the President’s FY07 Budget. It is likely to carry over from
last year his call for cuts in non-security discretionary spending,
coupled with increases in defense and entitlement programs, such as
Medicare.
In anticipation of a budget from the
White House that will further cut agriculture discretionary spending,
Sen.
Blanche Lincoln
(D-AR) this week urged President Bush to “not turn his back
on America’s farmers,” saying budget cuts and disaster
payments from last year remain unaddressed.
Lincoln specifically referenced past budgets sent
to Capitol Hill by the White House which recommended cuts in ag spending – a “disproportionate
burden” on agriculture – and asked the President to include
disaster assistance spending in his FY07 budget request. Many insiders,
with an eye toward 2007 Farm Bill actions by the Administration, are
expecting FY07 spending recommendations to signal much deeper cuts
in spending while also indicating program “adjustments” in
line with World Trade Organization offers made by U.S. negotiators.
“I…ask that you reconsider your…proposals which
undermine the commodity title provisions of the 2002 Farm Bill,” Lincoln
wrote. “…breaking a commitment with our farm families midway
through a contract is reason enough not to cut a hole through the farm
safety net.”
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R&D “Valley of Death” on
This Year’s
Agenda
Following
on his successful passage of a biodefense liability law last year,
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) intends to push legislation
this year
that will further address biodefense and pandemic preparations, including
the “valley of death.”
At the end of the last session, Congress passed a new biodefense liability
law that includes a provision protecting makers of pandemic flu vaccines
and biodefense products from lawsuits. But the final bill did not include
a new agency proposed by Burr in his 14-point National Biodefense Act.
Burr's bill would have created the Biomedical Advanced Research and
Development Agency (BARDA), a new HHS agency to fund late-stage development
of promising biodefense and flu products and push for policies to streamline
their approval and procurement.
Burr is a strong advocate for the Agency, which he
says is crucial to shuttling companies through the “valley of
death,” the
time between early research and later stage development when companies
bid on contracts under the current BioShield program. Congress is faced with a short session this year due to the elections
leaving lawmakers less time to pass stand-alone bills and increasing
the chances the biodefense legislation could be attached to the must-pass
legislation. One vehicle for moving the legislation could be the reauthorization
of The Public Health and Preparedness Act of 2002.
Return to top EPA Lists Critical Uses of Methyl Bromide For 2006
EPA this week published its final rule on critical uses of methyl
bromide for 2006, an action the agency said “will honor the U.S.
commitment to obtain methyl bromide for American farmers in a manner
consistent with the Montreal Protocol while protecting the ozone layer.” “Critical
use” exemptions are allowed under the Montreal Protocol for uses
where there are no technically and economically feasible alternatives
to methyl bromide. The complete list of authorized exemptions – which
are classified by crop, region and in some cases, membership in certain
organizations representing methyl bromide users -- can be found at
www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr, with the list of exempted uses beginning on
page 24 of the rule and running through page 32.
Return to top First
Air Compliance Agreements For Ag Approved By EPA EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board this week approved the first
20 air consent agreements for animal feeding operations (AFOs), a move
to let EPA evaluate air emissions nationally, settle liability for
certain past AFO violations and resolve “potential violations” of
the Clean Air Act, the Superfund Act (CERCLA) and community-right-to-know
laws. Some enviro groups have threatened legal action to stop the agreement
process.
The agreements represent 10 applications from swine farms and 10 from
egg operations. Key to the agreements – worked out among environmental
groups and ag interests – is a monitoring and research study
to be done by independent researchers to strengthen EPA’s data
on emissions, which may lead to new compliance standards, guidelines
and enforcement policies.
Under the agreements, approved operations agree to follow clean air,
hazardous waste and emergency reporting laws after the research project
is completed, pay $2,500 into an EPA fund and allow their operations
to be monitored. The fund pays for two years of air monitoring at 28-30
farms nationally. EPA must wade through 2,681 agreements representing
farms in 42 states wishing to participate in consent agreements.
Return to top Wheat Industry, Senate Democrats Want Aussie Wheat Board Suspension
Reinstated By USDA
The U.S. wheat industry and several Senators want USDA to reinstate
a suspension of the AWB, Ltd., successor to the Australian Wheat Board
(AWB), disallowing AWB’s use of USDA export credit guarantee
programs.
AWB Ltd. is the U.S. affiliate of AWB and uses USDA
export credits when it sells U.S. products. Previously, the AWB’s
use of the credits was suspended as a result of the United Nations’ (UN)
oil-for-food investigation when it was found AWB Ltd. made “questionable” payments
for inland transportation in Iraq, according to media reports. That
suspension was lifted after six days when the U.S. State Department
intervened on behalf of Australia, and the Australian government is
investigating whether the payments violated Australian law.
The National Association of Wheat Growers, in a January
26 letter to Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns asking that the
suspension
be reinstated, said the Australian inquiry “produced documents
that demonstrate AWB’s corporate misbehavior.” Seven Democrat
Senators, led by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), want the suspension reinstated
during the Australian investigation “until crucial questions
in this matter can be fully addressed.”
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), chair of the Senate Homeland
Security Committee’s
subcommittee on investigations, wants former Australian Ambassador
Michael Thawley to testify before his subcommittee about information
from the UN investigation and from Australia’s own inquiry that
apparently contradicts statements Thawley made to Coleman during a
2004 meeting requested by Thawley to denounce the AWB allegations.
Coleman also asked Johanns to suspend AWB Ltd.’s use of export
credits until his questions are answered.
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BSE UPDATE
USDA Investigation of Japan Problems Almost Done
The USDA investigation of how restricted materials wound up in a U.S.
shipment of veal to Japan should be completed in about a week and presented
to the Japanese government, the U.S. ambassador to Japan said this
week. He added that USDA is willing to let the Japanese inspect U.S.
plants if that will restore trust in the U.S. system. He also said
Congress has run out of patience and hoped the latest closing of the
Japanese market did not spark a trade dispute.
House Agriculture Committee Chair Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) met with
a delegation of Japanese legislators this week to discuss trade issues.
He asked that Japan reopen its market to U.S. beef and that the Japanese
delegation take action quickly.
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USDA Inspector General Cites Flaws in APHIS, FSIS BSE Systems; Department
Says Most OIG Recommendations Already In Place
USDA’s operation of its APHIS and FSIS mitigation programs have
kept contaminated product out of the food chain but could be improved,
according to the department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG)
which released an internal audit of the programs. For their part, APHIS
and FSIS say most of the OIG’s 22 recommendations for improvement
have already been adopted.
However, OIG continues to criticize the agencies for the voluntary
nature of the BSE surveillance and testing programs, which it says
makes it difficult to determine whether USDA is collecting enough samples.
OIG, for instance, said APHIS did not meet its own goals on a state
basis for sampling. APHIS said in some states there are few if any
renderers – the primary source of samples – and that many
animals move from one state to another for slaughter or rendering.
On a regional basis, APHIS said, its goals were met. APHIS also said
its quality control and testing procedures at its Ames, IA facility
are in the process of being updated
As for FSIS, OIG said that inadequate paperwork at processing plants
studied did not give sufficient evidence that BSE rules were being
followed. FSIS pointed out that of the 8.8 million inspections it conducted
over the period of the OIG investigation, less than 1% was likely out
of compliance with BSE rules.
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Venison May Carry TSE Agent
Muscle meat of deer infected by Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the
transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) affecting cervids, may
carry the prions capable of spreading the disease, according to a report
from the University of Kentucky. The UK researchers said when muscle
tissue was taken from infected deer and injected into special-bred
mice, the mice developed the disease. Researchers emphasized, however, “we’re
a long way from showing venison is infectious,” and said there
is no evidence humans can contract CWD.
Return to top Mexico Reopens Market to Bone-In Beef
The Mexican government this week said it will resume import of U.S.
bone-in beef from animals under 30 months old. Mexico opened its market
to boneless beef in March, 2004. Mexico represents an $874-million
market, with bone-in beef making up about $40 million.
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New Bills
A number of new bills have been introduced. Click
here to send a request for a copy of the text or more information about
the bill.
H.R.4684
Rep. Robert “Bud” Cramer, Jr. (D-AL) offered legislation
to amend the Small Business Act to provide for an increase in the amount
of awards under the first and second phases of the Small Business Innovation
Research program.
H.R.4689
Legislation introduced by Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D-SD) would amend
the Federal Meat Inspection Act to provide that a quality grade label
issued by the Secretary of Agriculture for beef and lamb may not
be used for imported beef or imported lamb.
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Inside
Track is produced as a service to clients of Policy Directions,
Inc., a Washington, DC-based government relations/strategic government
communications firm founded in 1995, specializing in customized
advocacy on health care; food; biomedical research; biotechnology,
human drug, and medical device regulation; federal nutrition policy
and programs; and environmental policies and programs. For more
information about PDI, please e-mail info@poldir.com.
All material © 2006 Policy Directions.
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