{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-carter-higgins-introduce-bipartisan-bill-protect-louisianians", "Congressman Carter, Higgins Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Louisianians from Contaminated Seafood Imports", "2024-06-27", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "LA", "Troy A. Carter", "C001125", "troycarter.house.gov", "troycarter", "https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) and Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) introduced the bipartisan Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, which grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) additional authority to destroy foreign products that fail health inspections, ensuring that contaminated, unsafe, and mislabeled seafood imports do not harm American consumers.\n\n\"This legislation is a crucial step forward in safeguarding American\u2019s health and supporting Louisiana\u2019s economy,\u201d said Rep. Carter. \u201cBy granting the FDA the necessary authority to destroy food products that fail to meet our stringent health and safety standards, we are closing a dangerous loophole that has allowed contaminated seafood to enter our markets. This bill protects consumers from potential health risks and upholds the integrity of our food supply chain, while supporting Louisiana fishermen and seafood processors.\u201d\n\nHistorically, the FDA has been responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of food, medicine, and medical devices. Currently, any FDA-regulated medical devices and medication can be destroyed if the agency deems the imported item a health risk for public use. However, this authority does not extend to imported food products that are inspected and fail to meet U.S. health and safety standards. Foreign entities routinely violate FDA standards by contaminating seafood imports with harmful chemicals that pose major health risks. These same companies can also \u201cport shop\u201d and utilize other ports of entry if they fail inspection at their initial port of entry.\n\n\u201cThe United States must prioritize the health and safety of the American people,\u201d said Rep. Higgins. \u201cCurrently, billions of pounds of un-inspected foreign seafood continue to enter the country, causing major health concerns. God only knows what\u2019s in the shipments that enter through our ports. This legislation provides the FDA with the authority to destroy illegal seafood imports and ensure they do not reach American markets.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmongst the U.S. aquaculture community that competes against foreign imported seafood it is common knowledge importers will \u201cshop\u201d ports of entry after an initial denial by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,\u201d said Paul Zajicek, Executive Director, National Aquaculture Association. \u201cWe strongly support Congressman Higgins\u2019 and Congressman Carter\u2019s much needed bill, which will provide the agency with commonsense authority to destroy tainted product and, as a long-term outcome, will discourage and prevent an unethical tactic.\u201d\n\nFull bill text can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-carter-higgins-introduce-bipartisan-bill-protect-louisianians"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7428568787872791, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}