On June 22, 2016, CCAGW and a coalition of taxpayer watchdogs sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives urging a vote on S. J. Res. 28.  S. J. Res. 28, sponsored by Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.), would nullify the USDA’s wasteful and duplicative catfish inspection program.  The Senate passed the resolution on May 25, 2016 with a vote of 55-43.  The House has failed to move forward with the resolution after nearly a month. 

While there is some opposition to a vote on the program, particularly from the southern states where “catfish offices” are prevalent, a growing number of representatives support voting on the waste-cutting resolution.  A bipartisan letter, spearheaded by Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Minn.), has garnered nearly 200 congressional co-signers.  More recently, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, led by Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), sent a letter to the House Leadership urging a vote.  Their letter called the program a “prime example of duplicative government regulation” and urged a vote as soon as possible.

With the summer recess approaching, the leadership must act soon.