Food Safety Must Be a Farm Bill Priority

I am writing to ask why critical USDA research programs, including projects studying Cyclospora and other foodborne parasites, have been defunded, reduced, or threatened with relocation. I also urge you to address both USDA research funding and the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule in the farm bill currently under consideration in the Senate. This issue is especially urgent as the United States faces one of its largest recent Cyclospora outbreaks, with tens of thousands of reported illnesses and deaths. At a time when foodborne pathogens are sickening Americans, our country should be strengthening agricultural and public health research, not eliminating programs, losing experienced scientists, or disrupting specialized facilities. Please explain why Congress failed to fund two USDA Cyclospora research projects and why the remaining program is being moved from Maryland to Iowa. Will you support restoring funding for these projects and protecting the scientists who conduct this work? More broadly, what will you do to ensure stable, long-term funding for USDA research into foodborne illness prevention, detection, and outbreak response? I also ask you to oppose any further delay or weakening of the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule, established under Section 204 of the Food Safety Modernization Act. The rule would require more complete and standardized records throughout the food supply chain, allowing investigators to trace contaminated products more quickly and accurately. The current “one up, one back” system can be inadequate when produce is mixed, processed, and distributed across multiple states. Although the farm bill has passed the House, I urge you to support provisions in the Senate bill that preserve the rule’s core requirements and implementation timeline. Congress should provide technical and financial assistance to small farms and businesses, while ensuring that food companies maintain usable, interoperable records. Food safety should not be treated as an optional expense or a partisan issue. Effective research and rapid traceback protect consumers, farmers, and responsible businesses. Please let me know where you stand and what specific actions you will take.