English subtitles for clip: File:2009-03-14 President Obama's Weekly Address.ogv

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I've often said that I don't believe government has the 

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answer to every problem, or that it can do all things for

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all people. We're a nation built on 

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the strength of individual initiative.

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But there's certain things that we can't do on our own.

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There's certain things only government can do. 

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And one of those things is ensuring that the 

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foods we eat and the medicines we take are safe 

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and don't cause us harm. That's the mission 

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of our Food and Drug Administration and it is a mission 

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shared by our Department of Agriculture, and a variety 

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of other agencies and offices

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at just about every level of government.

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The men and women who inspect our foods and test the safety

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of our medicines are chemists and 

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physicians, veterinarians and pharmacists.

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It's because of the work they do each and every day that

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the United States is one of the safest places in the world

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to buy groceries at a supermarket or pills at a drugstore.

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Unlike citizens of so many other countries, Americans can trust

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that there is a strong system in place to ensure that the 

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medications we give our children will help them get better,

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not make them sick; and that a family dinner 

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won't end in a trip to the doctor's office.

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But in recent years, we've seen a number of problems with

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the food making its way to our kitchen tables.

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In 2006, it was contaminated spinach.

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In 2008, it was salmonella in peppers and possibly tomatoes.

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And just this year, bad peanut products led to hundreds

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of illnesses and cost nine people their lives -- 

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a painful reminder of how tragic the consequences can be when

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food producers act irresponsibly 

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and government is unable to do its job.

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Worse, these incidents reflect a troubling trend that's

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seen the average number of outbreaks from contaminated produce 

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and other foods grow to nearly 350 a year --

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up from 100 a year in the early 1990s.

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Part of the reason is that many of the laws and regulations 

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governing food safety in America have not been updated since

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they were written in the time of Teddy Roosevelt.

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It's also because our system of inspection and enforcement 

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is spread out so widely among so many people that it's difficult

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for different parts of our government

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to share information, work together, and solve problems.

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And it's also because the FDA has been underfunded and understaffed

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in recent years, leaving the agency with the resources to inspect

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just 7,000 of our 150,000 food processing plants and warehouses

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each year. That means roughly 95 percent of them go uninspected.

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That's a hazard to public health. It's unacceptable.

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And it will change under the leadership of Dr. Margaret Hamburg,

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whom I'm appointing today as Commissioner

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of the Food and Drug Administration.

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From her research on infectious disease at the National Institutes

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of Health to her work on public health at the Department of Health

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and Human Services, to her leadership on biodefense at the Nuclear

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Threat Initiative, Dr. Hamburg brings to this vital position

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not only a reputation of integrity but a record of achievement

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in making Americans safer and more secure. Dr. Hamburg was one of

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the youngest people ever elected to the National Academy of Sciences'

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Institute of Medicine. And her two children have a unique distinction

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of their own. Their birth certificates feature her name twice -- 

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once as their mother, and once as New York City Health Commissioner. 

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In that role, Dr. Hamburg brought a new life to a demoralized agency,

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leading an internationally-recognized initiative that cut the 

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tuberculosis rate by nearly half, and overseeing

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food safety in our nation's largest city.

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Joining her as Principal Deputy Commissioner will be Dr. Joshua Sharfstein.

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As Baltimore's Health Commissioner, Dr. Sharfstein has been recognized

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as a national leader for his efforts to protect children from unsafe

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over-the-counter cough and cold medications. 

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And he's designed an award-winning program to ensure that Americans

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with disabilities had access to prescription drugs.

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Their critical work -- and the critical work of the FDA they lead -- 

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will be part of a larger effort taken up by a new Food Safety 

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Working Group I'm creating. This working group will bring together 

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Cabinet secretaries and senior officials to advise me on how we can 

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upgrade our food safety laws for the 21st century; foster coordination 

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throughout our government; and ensure that we are not just designing 

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laws that will keep the American people safe, but enforcing them.

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And I expect this group to report back to me 

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with recommendations as soon as possible.

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As part of our commitment to public health, our Agriculture Department

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is closing a loophole in the system to ensure that diseased cows don't

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find their way into the food supply. And we're also strengthening our

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food safety system and modernizing our labs with a $1 billion investment,

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a portion of which will go toward significantly increasing the number 

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of food inspectors, helping ensure that the FDA has the staff and support

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they need to protect the food we eat.

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In the end, food safety is something I take seriously, not just as your

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President, but as a parent. When I heard peanut products were being

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contaminated earlier this year, I immediately thought of my 7-year old 

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daughter, Sasha, who has peanut butter sandwiches for lunch probably 

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three times a week. No parent should have to worry that their child

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is going to get sick from their lunch. Just as no family should have to 

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worry that the medicines they buy will cause them harm.

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Protecting the safety of our food and drugs is one of the most fundamental

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responsibilities government has, and, with the outstanding team

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I'm announcing today, it is a responsibility that I intend

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to uphold in the months and years to come.

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Thanks.