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Statement of CSPI Senior Food Safety Attorney David Plunkett

February 26, 2013

Anyone who eats should be gravely concerned about across the board budget cuts that will happen if Congress fails to repeal the sequester. This self-inflicted crisis would force the Food and Drug Administration to forgo 2,100 domestic and foreign food inspections, even as the agency is trying to implement new food safety rules. With fewer inspections, FDA won't be able to stop problems at food plants until people start getting sick or start dying.

The sequester means gutting the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food safety program by about $50 million. That means less food reaching consumers, higher prices, and an increased likelihood that the safety of our meat and poultry may be compromised. The sequester is likely to cost meat and poultry producers more than $10 billion in losses.

The ill-considered sequestration now looming is anti-business, anti-family, anti-consumer, and threatens the safety of our food supply. The White House and Congress should get rid of it.