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U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees |
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For Immediate
Release October 18, 2007 |
CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630 |
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With increasing number of recalled goods from China, action must be taken soon
WASHINGTON, DC- With the rapid growth in global trade, the health and safety of imports coming to the United States is an area of growing concern. Throughout the past year, a large number of imported goods from China and other countries have been recalled, rejected, or found to be harmful to consumers, drawing attention to the issue and increasing calls for the government to act to address it. Today, the Senate Finance Committee took a first step in that process by holding a hearing entitled “Growing Trade, Growing Vigilance: Import Health and Safety Today and Tomorrow,” which focused on finding a global and systematic approach to address the safety of imports coming into our Nation. United States Senator Ken Salazar is concerned about the safety of imported consumer products, and made the following statement at the Finance Committee hearing today: “Over the past few decades, we have witnessed a remarkable expansion in both the U.S. and the global economy. The technological revolution that has driven much of that expansion has helped the world economy become exponentially more interconnected by lowering economic barriers between nations and different regions of the world. “These forces have combined to provide Americans and their families with access to a wide array of products and services from all over the world. The products we use are cheaper and better today than they were a generation ago, and they have raised our standard of living by leaps and bounds. “Here in the Finance Committee we work hard to improve even further on this economic dynamism by lowering trade barriers that remain between nations through free trade agreements and commercial dialogues with our trading partners. “However, in the desire to bring cheaper, better, and more efficient products into our nation and into our homes, and to expand opportunities for American businesses and our economy as a whole, we must not overlook the dangers that arise when we import products from countries whose safety and quality standards may be different from our own. “This past summer, I was deeply troubled by reports that a rash of products imported into the U.S. from China were deemed to be unsafe for our families. Toothpaste, pet food, tires, children’s toys – these are products found in almost every American household. Because they have become such a fundamental part of our daily lives, we take for granted that they are safe for us and for our loved ones to use. “And it is not only China – in 2006, the U.S. rejected large numbers of food shipments from Mexico, India, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, and Italy, among others. We owe it to our constituents to do everything we can to prevent unsafe products from entering our borders, and worse, their homes. “This morning’s hearing provides us with an opportunity to air some of the concerns that have arisen recently around the issue of import safety. We must also examine whether the mechanisms we currently have in place are adequate to ensure the safety of the products we import, or whether there are deeper economic factors that may have helped to cause us to let our guard down, and that we need to address.”
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