Source:  Dani Friedland, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 9/16/10

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) has shelved food safety legislation being considered in the Senate after Sen. Tom Coburn (R.-Okla.) threatened to block it, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Coburn objects to the bill because it would impose costs not offset by cuts elsewhere. In a list of detailed concerns released on his website, Coburn said the measure would cost $1.6 billion over the next 5 years. His list also includes specific “burdensome” regulations, including traceability, mandatory recall authority for the FDA and performance standards.

"We thought we finally had it worked out, we could come and take care of this,” The Las Vegas Review-Journal quoted Reid as saying in a Senate speech. “But Senator Coburn has said no. We've spent a whole Congress on this and of course at the last minute he comes in and likely we will not be able to get this done before we go home for the elections. What a sad thing for our country. People are dying as a result of these problems with food. It is just a shame we can't get this done.”

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill more than a year ago. 

Calls to the Senate Democratic Communications Center were not returned by press time.

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