Mark DeSaulnier, CA
“Tobacco companies gave money to President Trump's group, and then the FDA made it easier to sell flavored e-cigarettes. Millions of young people use these products and get addicted to nicotine. I want Congress to speak out against this corruption.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my outrage about recent FDA regulatory actions on e-cigarettes. On April 30, Reynolds American donated $5 million to MAGA Inc., a Trump-backed super-PAC. In the following 8 days, the President dined with top tobacco executives, and the FDA issued guidance making it easier for tobacco companies to sell flavored e-cigarettes. In 2024, 1.63 million middle and high school students in America used e-cigarettes, and nearly 90 percent of them used flavored products. The tobacco industry is openly paying bribes to advance policies that will get the next generation of young people hooked on nicotine. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning this blatant, pay-for-play corruption and the harm it will inflict to generations of young Americans.”
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my outrage about recent FDA regulatory actions on e-cigarettes. On April 30, Reynolds American donated $5 million to MAGA Inc., a Trump-backed super-PAC. In the following 8 days, the President dined with top tobacco executives, and the FDA issued guidance making it easier for tobacco companies to sell flavored e-cigarettes. In 2024, 1.63 million middle and high school students in America used e-cigarettes, and nearly 90 percent of them used flavored products. The tobacco industry is openly paying bribes to advance policies that will get the next generation of young people hooked on nicotine. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning this blatant, pay-for-play corruption and the harm it will inflict to generations of young Americans.