21 



And he talked about the budget savings, rural development, and 

 just improving the quality of life for those he was responsible for. 



I would say to you, Mr. Chairman, and to this committee that I 

 am really going to try to honor his memory. I am going to try to do 

 in my capacity as Secretary of Agriculture, one with added respon- 

 sibilities and a little bit bigger budget, everything he tried to do for 

 Crittenden County and West Memphis in Arkansas. I am really 

 going to try to do that and I am going to need your help if I am to 

 achieve that purpose. 



Last, let me report on two items and then pause and take any 

 questions you might have. 



I returned this morning from the State of Washington, the first 

 official trip that I have had a chance to take as Secretary. Before I 

 embarked on it, I discussed it with President Clinton over the 

 weekend while we were at Camp David. It didn't take a lot of con- 

 vincing, but I did talk to him about the importance of the mission 

 and the critical sense of what we do. Mr. Chairman, 52 percent of 

 everything we do at USD A involves food and nutrition. 



A large part of that involves assuring the American public that 

 we have an adequate and a safe food supply. Mr. Chairman, you 

 don't have to raise your charts to talk about everything that we 

 discussed with regard to Alar in apples. We do not need another fit 

 of hysteria in this Nation. 



It just sent chills down my spine when I learned not too long ago 

 of the death of a small child, the death of another child, 18 with 

 critical illness, and perhaps as many as 350 children extremely sick 

 because of their ingestion of a tainted hamburger from a very pop- 

 ular franchise establishment. It sent chills down my spine to think 

 that some way, somehow, along the chain the stamp of the USDA 

 had been put on those tainted patties. 



I impressed upon our President — and again, it didn't take a lot of 

 convincing — that this was a critical situation and such that the 

 Secretary should be allowed to go to Washington and do everything 

 he could do to assure our public that this was not a national inci- 

 dent and to try to contain it where we can. 



I did make that trip. It was upgraded to a Presidential mission. I 

 had a chance to meet yesterday with some of the parents of those 

 children and to meet with the Governor and the members of the 

 State senate. 



Let me say two things about that situation. The FSIS, the meat 

 inspectors, all complied with current law and current authority. As 

 you know, we operate under the Meat and Poultry Inspection Act 

 and everything relative to this act and those regulations were fol- 

 lowed. But I am still concerned that those standards are a little bit 

 too lax. 



Right now, as you know, Mr. Chairman, they relate only to the 

 organoleptic factors. Those are pathogens of those germs that you 

 can see, smell, and touch. I am concerned that perhaps we should 

 do more to begin to move on the path toward more of a microbiolo- 

 gically based or science-based inspection system. 



I will be meeting with FSIS tomorrow. We will be presenting 

 these options to you. Hopefully you can schedule a hearing early 

 on, to allow us to present our findings and our recommendations. 



