WASHINGTON - September 7, 2010 - Chuck Grassley today requested further information about the process used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture when employees at monitored farms come forward to USDA officials with food safety concerns.

"Americans have enjoyed one of the safest and most abundant food supplies in the world.  Confidence in our food supply is very important.  First and foremost is the safety of the consumer.  But, also, if the consumer doesn't have confidence in our food supply, it impacts the farmer," Grassley said.  "To maintain that confidence, it's important we evaluate and ask questions about where things might have fallen through the cracks so it doesn't happen again."

Grassley's letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack follows press reports about complaints raised by individuals at the facilities involved in the egg recall.

The letter asks if the Department received complaints and what was done to investigate the concerns.  Grassley also asks about the Food Safety Inspection Service's responsibilities at the two farms.

In addition, Grassley asked about the procedures in place when concerns are raised in areas of joint jurisdiction, such as the USDA and the FDA in this particular instance.

Here's a copy of the text of Grassley's letter.

September 7, 2010

Secretary Tom Vilsack

U.S. Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Ave SW

Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Vilsack,

The recent egg recalls due to a Salmonella outbreak at Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms in Iowa have troubled consumers and weakened confidence in our nation's food supply. When Americans visit their local grocery stores, they should be able to trust that the food they are purchasing to feed their family is safe to consume.

Recent media reports indicate that former company employees reported food safety problems they had observed while working at Wright County Egg. While I understand that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authority over shell eggs, has issued the egg recall and is involved in the investigation of the Salmonella outbreak, USDA does have primary jurisdiction over egg product safety and has non-food safety employees located at farms including Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) graders.

In light of the complaints raised by these individuals, please answer following the questions:

1) Did USDA receive complaints from company employees and if so, what was done to investigate these concerns?

2) What were the Food Safety Inspection Service's (FSIS) responsibilities in relation to these two farms?  When was the last FSIS inspection conducted?

3) Is there an established process so that USDA employees (such as AMS graders) or company employees and other individuals can report possible food safety violations to FSIS?

4) Is there an established process for USDA employees to report food safety concerns to the FDA when they fall outside of USDA's jurisdiction?

5) What is USDA doing to counter deficiencies in food safety communication within the USDA and between the two agencies?  How are USDA and FDA coordinating to best address food safety concerns and ensure that food safety problems do not fall through the cracks?

Thank you for your prompt response to this important issue.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Grassley

United States Senator

SPRINGFIELD, IL (09/07/2010)(readMedia)-- Illinois National Guard leaders have identified open discussions and stronger relationships between Soldiers and Airmen among the keys to suicide prevention programs administered by the Illinois National Guard.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, three Illinois National Guard Soldiers have committed suicide and the Department of Defense (DoD) has experienced record numbers of suicides across all services since 2002. As a result, DoD programs to identify causes for suicide and implement preventative strategies have received attention and funding.

One challenge has been getting Soldiers and Airmen to understand that seeking help when dealing with difficult emotional situations will not negatively affect their careers.

Chief Warrant Officer (2) Mariah Peterson, Illinois National Guard Suicide Prevention Program Manager, said she has seen a decrease in the negative stigma surrounding mental health issues.

"Soldiers are learning more and more that the repercussions from seeking help are no longer going to affect their military career," said Peterson. "In order to be an effective Soldier, one has to be both physically and mentally strong."

The Army's Ask Care Escort (ACE) program and the supplemental Shoulder-to-Shoulder training are the only Army-approved suicide prevention training programs, which focuses on building and maintaining positive relationships.

"It is taught by first-line leaders and gives Soldiers the opportunity to open up and discuss the training in an informal setting. Soldiers tend to open up more when they are surrounded by their peers," said Peterson.

During an address to the 132nd General Conference of the National Guard Association of the United States Aug. 21 in Austin, Texas, Maj. Gen. Raymond W. Carpenter, acting director of the Army National Guard, emphasized more vigilant leadership and better post deployment follow up as among the solutions for stemming suicides.

"The issue of Soldier suicides isn't a deployment problem, it has to do with significant emotional events in their lives, but beyond that, it has to do with their ability to cope," he said.

The lesson is that leaders must be more assertive and involved to help troubled Soldiers before issues mushroom, said Carpenter.

Getting the families of Illinois National Guard members involved, helping them understand help is available and how to get that help are all points of emphasis in Illinois. This part of the mission is spearheaded by the Family Readiness Groups and the Chaplain Corps.

"We spend very little time in our offices," said Col. Daniel Krumrei, Joint Forces Headquarters chaplain, and the command staff chaplain. "We're always out and around counseling Soldiers, assisting commanders and developing relationships. As much as humanly possible our chaplains are available. We're at Soldiers' homes, at hospitals, funeral homes and even jails; wherever we are needed to help the Soldiers manage emotionally stressful events in their lives."

The Strong Bonds Retreats are weekend get-aways for Illinois servicemembers and their spouses designed to help Soldiers reconnect with their families and enhance their marriages, said Chaplain (1st Lt.) Vincent Lambert administers the Army's Strong Bonds program.

"Reconnecting with family after a deployment can be an extremely stressful situation for a Soldier and a chaplain has a special vantage point because we are specifically trained in counseling and many couples want to follow up with us," said Lambert. "The confidentiality a chaplain guarantees is key."

The Air National Guard's suicide prevention program, called the Wingman Project, consists of an interactive Web site available to anyone with Internet access and says that for every one Airman killed in combat, seven Airmen take their own lives. Wingmanproject.org was developed to empower Air Guard members, their families and friends to prevent suicides and train them to recognize the signs of suicide. The site includes training on how to ask the right questions, links and contact information for additional help like the suicide hotline.

The fact that wingmanproject.org is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is especially important for traditional National Guard members.

"The National Guard is, at times, at a disadvantage compared to the Army and Air Force," said Peterson. "We see our Soldiers and Airmen two days out of the month. That is why it is imperative to know your Soldiers and your Airmen. Suicide prevention should not be something that is on the front page one day and forgotten the next; it is knowing your buddy, knowing what resources are available for help, paying attention to what is going on in your Soldiers' or Airmen's lives and not being afraid to talk about it."

September is National Suicide Prevention Month and National Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 5-11.

For more information please contact the Illinois National Guard Public Affairs office at 217-761-3569.

1st Lt. Dutch Grove.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released the following statement today after learning that the U.S. Department of Education had approved $96 million in funding for Iowa.  Iowa applied for this funding after the U.S. Senate advanced a measure that provided $10 billion for an education jobs fund to help prevent major teacher layoffs in the coming school year.  This effort was modeled after legislation Senator Harkin introduced on April 14th called the Keep Our Educators Working Act.

Harkin chairs the Appropriations subcommittee that funds education efforts and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

"Just a few months ago, headlines in Iowa and around the country told an all-too-familiar story of educator jobs at risk.   Our public schools were facing the prospect of massive layoffs, which would have meant larger class sizes and a great risk to the state of our kids' education.  

"Today, we have helped to avert a crisis.  With the approval of their application, Iowa will be able to use these funds to stem the loss of teachers, librarians, classroom assistants and others who our kids rely on for a quality education.  I commend the Department of Education for moving quickly to ensure this critical funding is released to states."

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