I rise in opposition to the bill. H.R. 2393 is a premature reaction to the WTO ruling against the U.S. Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, law. Rather than taking the time to find a workable solution, the Committee passed a COOL repeal just two days after the WTO issued its ruling.

Rushing a COOL repeal bill through the House is not the way to address the potential retaliation stemming from the WTO ruling.

I oppose this legislation because it will roll back important financial regulations and interfere with the CFTC’s ability to do its work. I am very concerned that H.R. 2289 will open the door to the types of things that created the financial mess we’re just beginning to get ourselves out of.

As this process moves forward, I hope that we can come together and see a simple reauthorization, that will provide protections for customers and certainty for the CFTC, signed into law.

I think this is an important topic for the Committee to address because what is often lost during debates on our farm safety net is the fact that other countries also provide agriculture subsidies to producers. If we are going to compete in a global marketplace we need to be on a level playing field.

Without a strong biofuels industry, we will never be able to reach our full potential when it comes to producing the next generation of homegrown biofuels. The rural economy has remained strong in part due to the jobs provided by biofuels production. This announcement puts those jobs and rural economic growth in danger.

Farmers, ranchers, local communities and businesses all expressed concern with the negative impacts of this rule. Despite that, EPA either wasn’t willing to listen or simply just does not get it.

I think we should take a serious look at the mandatory labeling requirements that are in place in more than 60 other countries. EU labeling rules, for example, require indication of the country of birth, fattening and slaughter.

I am disappointed in today’s ruling and will oppose efforts to fully repeal COOL. There are still several steps in the WTO process that must be met before any retaliation could go into effect so we should take the time to thoughtfully consider how to move forward.

While I co-sponsored H.R. 4413 last Congress, I am unable to support this bill because the facts on the ground, particularly at the Commission, have changed. I don’t believe we need all these extra provisions; we just need a simple reauthorization.