Niklas Rhöse / Unsplash The race among startups to create the first meat without slaughter needs a referee — and right now, there's a battle raging over who it will be. In a letter sent Wednesday to the White House budget office, congressmembers said they were upset and disappointed that the USDA was not included in an FDA public meeting to discuss cultured meat. The controversy could prove too inconvenient for startups working on cultured (or "clean") meat.