The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday on labeling of GMO foods. The session, “Examining FDA’s role in the regulation of genetically modified food ingredients,” is expected to provide a forum for Rep Mike Pompeo’s bill to pre-empt state labeling laws. Bills to mandate labeling of foods made with genetically modified organisms also are pending in Congress. Final action is not expected during the lame-duck session. For details about the hearing, including a Webcast, click here.
CFTC chairman Timothy Massad is the sole witness scheduled for a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on Wednesday on “The Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Effective enforcement and the futures of derivatives regulation.” The hearing notice says the committee “will examine the commission’s recent activities, what resources the commission will need in order to continue to effectively regulate derivatives in the future, and how the commission plans to complete its responsibilities under the Dodd-Frank Act.” For details, click here.
USDA extended to Dec 19 the deadline for farmers to enroll in the new Dairy Margin Protection Program, which replaces the previous dairy program. The extension allows two more weeks for producers to sign up.
Leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees hope to unveil a bill on Monday to fund most of the federal government for the rest of this fiscal year. The Hill newspaper says leaders have a goal of completing negotiations by this evening so staff can handle the paperwork over the weekend. Politico says ” the abundance of proposed policy riders — impacting everything from medical marijuana in the District of Columbia to national labor and environmental regulations — is a source of tension and delay.”