Boring but important

last updated 8 January 2015

Tougher safety standards

The White House announced new regulations that would slap tougher fines on manufacturers of unsafe toys and grant the FDA new powers to recall tainted food. Americans, President Bush said, have the right to expect the food they eat, or the medicines they take, or the toys they buy for their children to be safe. Some of the rules will go into effect immediately, while others must be approved by Congress. The move won bipartisan praise, but some Democrats complained that regulators would be unable to take full advantage of their new powers because their budgets have been cut.

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The House of Representatives overrode President Bush’s veto of a $23.2 billion water-projects bill, in a lopsided 361 to 54 vote that included significant Republican support. If the Senate follows suit, the bill would be the first law passed over a Bush veto. Much of the funding would go toward restoring levees along the Gulf Coast and reservoirs in the Florida Everglades. Bush objects to the cost.

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