On the heels of recent outbreaks of illness and contamination linked to chicken, eggs and cantaloupe, President Barack Obama is advocating for the creation of a new federal agency that would solely be entrusted with keeping the nation's food supply safe.

In his budget released on Monday that is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $4 trillion, the president backs a long-supported plan where all the government agencies that now oversee food safety would be placed under the same umbrella, USA Today reports

Presently, the Department of Agriculture mans the inspection of meats and processed foods, such as eggs, while the Food and Drug Administration is in charge of regulating most other supply areas. The two agencies share responsibilities for mandating food safety at the border.

The Associated Press reports the budget calls for combining the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service and all of the FDA's food safety responsibilities into a single entity that would fall under the controls of the Department of Health and Human Services. The new high-powered agency would also work with local and state health officials to assure maximum safety.

In their outlined proposal, the Obama administration referred to the current system as "fractured oversight and disparate regulatory approaches."

"The purpose of [the proposal] is to begin the discussion and begin the debate," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

Empowered by a newly elected Republican-heavy Congress, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Ks., is already lining up in opposition to the proposal.

"In this tough economy, the last thing producers and consumers need is more red tape," he said.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that there are 48 million illnesses a year stemming from the transmission of contaminated foods. In 2010, Congress passed new food safety legislation calling for tougher and broader processing plans inspection guidelines and stricter standards on imported foods.

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