44 



We had a staff-sharing program between the Farmers Home and 

 the RDA where the Farmers Home would detail staff members to 

 staff up the RDA. We have had a significant transfer of employees 

 just since President Clinton has been sworn in. 



I am not prepared at this moment to go into any great detail 

 except that it was a good move on our part to create the RDA. 

 They have a function and they have a significant mission. They 

 should get the resources they need to enable them to carry out this 

 function. They ought to get qualified staffpersons who consider 

 themselves dedicated to RDA and not surrogates from Farmers 

 Home. 



Ms. Long. If I could just follow up, I think it would be a good 

 way to serve the rural communities. The better we are able to con- 

 solidate the various efforts and programs targeted to rural econom- 

 ic development, the easier it is going to be for those out in the 

 rural communities and also the more cost-efficient we're going to 

 be able to deliver those services. 



I know that you are very committed to that, but I just want to be 

 on record as stating that position. 



Thank you, Mr. Secretary. 



The Chairman. Mr. Inslee. 



Mr. Inslee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Secretary, I am from the State of Washington, and I want to 

 tell you that your red-eye flight had great dividends in building 

 confidence levels to stop repetition of this problem. It was well 

 worth it. 



I would like your comments on the Delaney clause and what you 

 think the Department could do in helping us fashion a solution to 

 this anomaly in the law that does not add anything to food safety 

 and yet could prevent us from using useful tools. How can you help 

 us in that regard? 



Secretary Espy. Thank you for the question. 



First, let me say to you that I appreciate your statement on the 

 Washington visit. It was an incredible visit for me. I would have 

 hoped that my first visit could have been to the Midwest. I had 

 planned for my first official visit as Secretary of Agriculture to 

 have been into corn and wheat country — and I will be doing so 

 very soon. 



I talked to Tim Penny about where I should go and I am relying 

 upon him to help prepare the itinerary for this visit I am going to 

 take. 



But this was a very important issue. It was a breaking issue, if 

 you will. Some here today called it a crisis. We had to move very 

 quickly to assure the public that we continue to have a safe food 

 supply. They should not be fooled, though. We will never be able to 

 get down to the level of zero pathogens in hamburger, for instance, 

 but we can do more in identifying and in educating the public on 

 safe cooking methods. If this particular hamburger had been 

 cooked perhaps a few seconds longer, then these children would 

 have never become ill. 



But at a point along the chain, it was stamped USDA. Although 

 they were stamped in full compliance with the meat inspection 

 laws, I think we can do better. As I said, we will be proposing these 

 improved regulations for you and for this committee. 



