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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, members such as Brett Guthrie.
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July 20, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2715) to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to extend the destruction authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to articles that present a significant public health concern, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2715
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Destruction of Hazardous
Imports Act”.
SEC. 2. DESTRUCTION OF CERTAIN REFUSED ARTICLES.
(a) In General.—Section 801 of the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 381) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
“(v) Destruction of Refused Articles Presenting
Significant Public Health Concerns.—
“(1) In general.—If the Secretary of Health and Human
Services finds that an article that has been refused
admission under subsection (a) presents a significant public
health concern, the Secretary may issue to the owner or
consignee of the article an order to destroy the article,
without the opportunity for export.
“(2) Deadline; costs.—Not later than 90 days after the
issuance of an order under paragraph (1), the owner or
consignee of the article shall destroy the article. The owner
or consignee shall be responsible for the costs of such
destruction.
“(3) Due process.—The Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall provide to the owner or consignee of an
article subject to an order under paragraph (1) appropriate
due process prior to the destruction of the article. Such due
process shall be specified in regulations and include notice
and an opportunity to appear before the Secretary and
introduce testimony on the destruction—
“(A) in combination with the notice and opportunity to
appear and introduce testimony on the refusal of admission of
the article under subsection (a); or
“(B) separately.”.
(b) Prohibited Acts.—Section 301 of the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 331) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
“(jjj) The unauthorized movement, or introduction or
delivery for introduction into interstate commerce, including
export, of an article that is subject to an order for
destruction under section 801(v).”.
(c) Applicability.—The amendments made by subsections (a)
and (b) shall apply to articles beginning on the date that is
30 days after the date on which the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and
Drugs, promulgates final regulations under subsection (d).
(d) Regulations.—
(1) Proposed.—Not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs,
shall issue proposed regulations to implement the amendment
made by subsection (a), allowing for notice and comment on
such proposed regulations.
(2) Final.—Not later than 1 year after the issuance of the
proposed regulations under paragraph (1), the Secretary of
Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of
Food and Drugs, shall promulgate final regulations to
implement the amendment made by subsection (a).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
General Leave
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and include extraneous material on H.R. 2715.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, it looks like we have two friends from Louisiana supporting this and who sponsored this bill today, Mr. Higgins and Mr. Carter.
Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2715, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2715 ensures that contaminated imports, ranging from radioactive seafood to illegal Chinese vapes, do not reach American consumers and cause harm.
foreign seafood. However, my colleague, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter), and I quickly learned that the Department of Health and Human Services cannot destroy other articles, including food, devices, and specific drugs, even though they may pose serious health risks.
Without the authority granted within H.R. 2715, dangerous and poisonous imports can find their way to American markets. This legislation grants the Food and Drug Administration additional authority to destroy any articles that fail initial inspection, preventing foreign importers from port-shopping or rebranding their products.
of destroyed items into interstate commerce, ensuring that harmful imported goods are permanently barred from entering our markets. Bad actors attempting to undermine these enforcement measures will face accountability.
and reinforce our commitment to stringent oversight of imported goods to mirror the American safety standards that American producers must live with.
year 2026. This included a request for the authority to require importers to destroy any FDA-related product that is refused entry into the United States and that presents a significant public health concern.
H.R. 2715 supports the administration and follows through by adding the FDA's existing authority to destroy imported medical devices and medications with any article that poses a health risk to the public.
effects of unfair trade policies, it is essential that the FDA has the authority to eliminate toxic foods and drugs from our country.
and prioritizes our domestic industry. I urge full support and swift passage, Mr. Speaker.
{time} 1440
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2715, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, led by Representatives Carter and Higgins of Louisiana.
authority to require importers to destroy products that pose a significant public health concern, preventing them from being shipped to another port of entry.
salmonella, listeria, and carcinogenic unapproved animal drugs, as well as misbranded medical devices. It also includes illegal e-cigarette products that are flooding the market from places like China.
These are dangerous products, Mr. Speaker. Providing the FDA with the authority to compel destruction and requiring the importer to pay for such destruction will provide a strong disincentive to those seeking to prioritize profits over product safety. We need to make sure Americans are not unwittingly exposed to harmful products, and this authority is going to prevent that.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate my friends from Louisiana, both of them, for bringing this forward. This is important. Think about what we are talking about here. Contaminated seafood, illicit drugs, and all of these other things are getting stopped at a port of entry, but FDA has no authority to destroy them. As my friend from New Jersey said, they get returned and come in through another port.
the same thing through over and over, eventually it is going to get through. It makes no sense not to allow the FDA to destroy these products.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter), a member of our committee, my colleague, and the Democratic sponsor of this bill.
Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2715, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, which I introduced with my Louisiana colleague Representative Clay Higgins.
field for American businesses by authorizing the Food and Drug Administration to order the destruction of imported products found to pose a significant public health concern.
counterfeit products to the U.S. knowing they can withdraw the shipment if FDA flags it. They can then try to enter through a different port where the shipment may not be caught, a practice known as port shopping. This loophole endangers our health and undermines our food and drug safety systems.
importer to destroy an FDA-regulated product that was refused entry into the U.S. because it poses a significant public health concern with the cost of the destruction at the importer's expense. This bill also prohibits the unauthorized movement of any article designated for destruction by the FDA.
contaminated with carcinogenic drugs, pesticides, and other harmful impurities.
devices and e-liquids containing banned substances and excessive nicotine, as well as counterfeit drugs like GLP-1s.
This threat is real and documented. Exporters, especially Chinese exporters, have been caught resubmitting rejected shipments at different ports. This bill closes that loophole and creates a deterrent for bad actors.
fishing industry on this legislation, including the Southern Shrimp Alliance. American fishermen perform backbreaking work and operate under strict U.S. food safety, labor, and environmental rules that raise their costs significantly. Meanwhile, some foreign producers cut corners and still get multiple chances to dump noncompliant and often dangerous products into the American marketplace.
in
volume each year, undercutting domestic fishermen. Last year, the U.S. imported 6.4 billion pounds of foreign seafood, a 10 percent increase from 2019.
declined. In 2024, the U.S. commercial landings totaled 7.7 billion pounds, the first time landings have been below 8 billion pounds since 1988.
hard by this flood of foreign imports. Since 2021, Louisiana shrimpers have seen the value of their catch drop by more than 50 percent, falling from $131 million in 2021 to just $61 million in 2024. As you can see, this is, in fact, a real threat.
unsafe products and provide American fishermen with a fair playing field, allowing them to sustainably harvest millions of additional pounds of shrimp and other seafood each year.
way to address an issue that will impact not just Louisiana but our entire country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this critical legislation.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2715, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.