Cheshire Eye on the Beltway: Support for American Manufacturers

MURPHY: The congressman released a statement following the approval of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that will allow the government to gather job creation information and consider that information in contracting decisions.

"Our premise is simple: the Defense Department should give preference to American manufacturers when awarding contracts," he said. "Most people assume we already consider American jobs when we hand over our defense dollars to contractors. Well, we don't, but we should."

BLUMENTHAL: The senator used Twitter to praise Twitter on Friday for support of the "Do Not Track" initiative, which protects users that don't want their online behavior tracked:

Pleased that Twitter is protecting consumers' #privacy by supporting #DoNotTrack. Other companies should follow suit: http://bit.ly/J3jdqW

LIEBERMAN: Sens. Lieberman and Susan Collins (R-Maine) sent letters to each GSA regional administrator on May 18 inquiring about conference budgets and spending between 2008 and 2012 in light of the , according to Federal Computer Week.

“The waste, excessive spending, and possible fraud uncovered as a result of this investigation and continuing investigations cause us grave concern,” Lieberman and Collins said in the joint statement.

DELAURO: The congressman released a statement on Thursday in response to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General on the Food Safety Inspection Service N60 sampling procedure, which ensures ground beef is produced in a way that minimizes E. coli contamination. A “high event” period is when a facility has multiple positive test results under the N60 protocol, indicating E. coli contamination, during a given production period.

“This report further questions the integrity of the N60 sampling program," she said. "Even a well-designed sampling program is only useful in protecting consumer health if it is performed accurately. Yet, the Inspector General’s report indicates this sampling program may be both inadequately and improperly performed. Critically, it also highlights other weaknesses in our food safety system that need attention, such as meat inspections performed by states and the clear need for an improved response to ‘high event’ production periods. American consumers deserve better.”