Election Results Bode Well for Supplements Industry
November 6, 2002
WASHINGTON--The November elections have come and gone and the Senate and House have both seen a switch in power--a once Democratic-heavy legislature is now a Republican domain. According to figures released by the Associated Press, the Senate now consists of 51 Republicans and 46 Democrats and the House now has 226 Republicans and 204 Democrats. Results were still coming in as of press time, but it is safe to say the Republicans are now in the majority.
How do these results parlay into benefits for the natural products industry? For one, some of the industry's biggest supporters were re-elected. In the Senate, Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) handily won against Greg Ganske with 54 percent of the vote. Harkin has recently been behind an initiative appearing in the most recent Farm Bill that would give tax breaks on vitamin purchases.
In the House, Dan Burton (R-Ind.), who helped lead a 2001 congressional caucus on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), won his seat against Katherine Carr with 72 percent of the vote. Dennis Kuchinich (D-Ohio), a proponent for labeling genetically modified foods, won against Jon Heben with 74 percent of the vote. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), who in 2001 asked the House Government Reform Committee not to repeal the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), protected his seat from Ric Medrow (R-N.J.) with 67 percent of the vote. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), who co-sponsored Harkin's bill giving tax breaks on vitamin purchases, held his own against Nancy Woodside with 67 percent. And Fortney Pete Stark (D-Calif.), a proponent for a recently shot-down initiative promoting fair trade and organically grown coffee, held onto his seat with 71 percent of the vote against his nearest opponent, Syed Mahmood.
Of course, not all those who were re-elected are considered friends of the industry. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), who has been behind the recent hearings on ephedra, won against Jim Durkin with 60 percent of the vote. And Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who once upon a time sent individual letters that put dietary supplement manufacturers on the spot about manufacturing practices, re-won his seat against Tony Goss with 70 percent of the vote.
Many industry observers said having a Republican-led Congress is a good turn of fortune for the regulations affecting its products. The National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) was one industry organization that was pleased with the elections' results. "This balance of power presents NNFA and the industry with our best--and possibly last good chance--to educate every member of Congress about the benefits of dietary supplements before a major onslaught to DSHEA," said David Seckman, NNFA's executive director. Seckman also reported that the elections changed the dynamic of certain government committees, including Sen. Durbin's subcommittee on Government Reform. Now that Durbin is part of the minority party, he will no longer have the power to hold hearings on issues such as supplement safety and overhauling DSHEA. It is the majority party, which yesterday's elections determined, that chairs committees and subcommittees and, as a result, sets agendas.
However, the industry should not become lazy in advocating the industry, according to Seckman. "A shift in the balance of power, which could occur in two years or even sooner, would put those who would like to see DSHEA amended or repealed in a better position to do so," he said. "We need to strengthen our advocacy efforts now, or face a larger hurdle down the road."
Some of those who were re-elected--including Harkin, Burton and Kuchinich--have received NNFA Lifetime Achievement awards for their legislative support of the industry.
"We sure like seeing Harkin re-elected and are really pleased that his race wasn't nearly as close as we had feared it might be," said Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). "In terms of Congressional balance, the Republicans are going to chair all of those Senate committees now, including Durbin's that has been particularly aggressive toward our trade for the last several months. It's going to take pressure off of us...even though issues that the senator raised should still be taken seriously. But it's a whole different conversation when we're not having to deal with these last minute committee meetings that I have felt were inappropriately aggressive."
McGuffin added that the industry would be wise to take advantage of the current congressional situation to build relationships with both the supporters and the adversaries of the industry. "We must not, in any way, rest on any perceived laurels that may have resulted [in the election]," he said. "We've got a lot of work to do in terms of building relations in this U.S. Congress."
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