{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=0896e745-07f3-48e6-817b-198ec6de9899", "Heitkamp Statement on World Trade Organization Country of Origin Labeling Decision", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today issued the following statement after a World Trade Organization (WTO) arbitration panel found that the U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law warrants $1.01 billion in retaliatory tariffs from Canada and Mexico.\r\nWhen families across the country sit down at the dinner table each night, they want to know where the meat theyre eating comes from, said Heitkamp. WTOs ruling today signals that we need a compromise  one that maintains country of origin labels, while still complying with trade obligations. Labeling is critical for U.S. consumers and ranchers. Thats why Ill keep pushing for a voluntary solution, like the bipartisan compromise bill I helped introduce in July, to allow labeling and protect the integrity of product of the U.S. labels.\r\nIn May, the WTO Appellate Body found that COOL does not comply with U.S. international trade commitments.\r\nTo find a path forward for COOL, Heitkamp worked with Senators John Hoeven (R-ND), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Thune (R-SD), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Mike Enzi (R-WY) to introduce bipartisan, compromise legislation in July to make sure families across North Dakota know where the food on their table comes from.\r\nThe Voluntary Country of Origin Labeling Act of 2015 would enable American consumers to know where the meat they buy was born, raised, and processed. It also protects the integrity of the product of the U.S. label by requiring meat products with the label to adhere to the highest standard of being born, raised, and processed within the United States.\r\nA member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Heitkamp has been vocal in supporting COOL. Heitkamp beat back efforts to repeal COOL when she helped write, negotiate, and pass into law the 2014 Farm Bill. Last October, Heitkamp joined a group of bipartisan Senatorsurging the Senate Appropriations Committee to reject efforts to weaken or suspend COOLin any future appropriations bills or continuing resolutions. In February 2013, Heitkamp helped lead a bipartisan group of Senators incalling on USTR and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make sure updated COOL rules still enabled consumers to know the origin of their food.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=0896e745-07f3-48e6-817b-198ec6de9899"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3877321034669876, "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"}