Yikes! Why is Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner serving President Barack Obama a burger made of rotten meat? To find out, watch this cute yet disturbing video:
While this is merely a one-minute cartoon, the facts behind the matter are indeed quiet serious. Why? Because the recently passed House GOP budget bill calls for $61 billion in spending cuts for agricultural inspections. These cuts could increase outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, which are already prevalent. Here are the facts, via MotherJones.com:
$88 million slashed from meat and poultry inspection
18% decrease in operations for the agency that inspects meat and poultry
These cuts would cost the industry $11 billion in revenue
$241 million cut from the food-safety budget of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
10,000 fewer inspections of imported food (less than 1% of which is checked in the first place)
One out of every six Americans gets sick each year from food-borne illnesses
28,000 people hospitalizedand 3,000 die every year from food-borne illnesses
Despite these facts, Republicans insist on cutting federal inspectors. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), the leader behind the defunding for federal food-safety efforts, claims that America’s food is “99.99 percent safe.”
Land is Sacred: Stand With the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
by Wopanaak Language Reclamation Project
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the very tribe that welcomed the Pilgrims in the 1600s, is at risk of losing what is left of their homelands due to a determination made by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Healthcare workers have shown their commitment to patients and the public. We need the same level of commitment from the Trump Administration and we need it now.