WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Vice Chair of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC), today called for a commonsense approach to regulations that protects consumers and the public interest without stifling innovation and economic growth. Klobuchar invited the founder of Minneapolis-based CVRx, a company that makes medical devices, to testify at the Joint Economic Committee hearing about how federal regulations have impacted his company and the larger medical device community in Minnesota. Minnesota Congressman Erik Paulsen also attended the hearing.
“From farmers to manufacturers to medical device companies like Minnesota’s CVRx, American businesses need greater simplicity in the tax code and a more sensible approach to regulation,” Klobuchar said. “We need policies that protect consumers with clarity and consistency, not endless red tape, and I will continue to work to create a regulatory climate that promotes growth and innovation while still maintaining safety and security standards.”
During the hearing, Klobuchar focused on the continued need for clear and consistent policies at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the primary regulatory agency charged with approving medical devices made by Minnesota’s roughly 400 medical device firms. Klobuchar, who successfully pushed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to curb unnecessary dust regulations in 2011, also stressed the need to cut red tape for farmers and ranchers.
Klobuchar has made reducing the regulatory burden for businesses and farmers one of her top priorities in the Senate. She authored bipartisan legislation, passed into law in 2012, to help streamline the Food and Drug Administration's regulation of medical devices without compromising public safety. As founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Tourism Caucus, she has also worked to cut red tape in the U.S. tourism industry by cutting back on wait times for tourist visas. Klobuchar also introduced the Representation for Farmers Act to ensure that American farmers are represented in the decision-making process for environmental policies and regulations that would affect U.S. agriculture.
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