Senators Fight Over Controversial Catfish Inspection Program

— -- The Senate has served up a new ingredient in the debate over President Obama's trade bill -- catfish.

Senators are at odds over whether a USDA catfish inspection program should be repealed as part of the bill that would provide Obama with the "fast-track" authority to negotiate trade deals with foreign countries.

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, introduced an amendment to the trade measure that would eliminate the USDA catfish inspection program, arguing it duplicates seafood inspection programs already conducted by the FDA and complicates trade efforts with Asian countries.

Angry and animated, McCain took to the Senate floor Tuesday to push for ending the USDA program, standing next to a giant picture of a catfish as he called the program "one of the most brazen and reckless and protectionist programs that I have encountered in my time as the U.S. Senate.”

“I’m all in favor of ensuring that American consumers enjoy wholesome catfish. The problem is the Food and Drug Administration already inspects all seafood including catfish,” McCain said. “The true purpose of the catfish program is to create a trade barrier to protect a small handful of catfish farmers in two or three southern states.”

One of those states McCain cited was Mississippi. The state’s two Republican senators – Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran - want their colleagues to reject the amendment if it comes up for a vote.

“It is absolutely not duplicative,” Wicker said. “What this is about is food safety for Americans in 50 states who deserve to know that the fish they are eating, that the product they are eating is unadulterated.”

Wicker further argued the inspections responsibilities will eventually transfer from the FDA to the USDA.

"It's going to move, according to the last two farm bills, from FDA to USDA," he said. "There will be no duplication, this excessive government waste we've heard about will not exist, but we will have better safety for the consumers of the United States of America and that's why we don't need to revisit this issue."

McCain contended the program also threatens trade negotiations with Asian countries, like Vietnam, that oppose the program and want to be able to import their fish.

It’s unclear yet whether there will be an actual vote on this amendment, but it is a pending amendment to the trade bill.

ABC News profiled concerns about the USDA and FDA catfish inspection programs in 2013.