Trump Administration Proposes Shifting Oversight of Tobacco From FDA

The Trump Administration is proposing shifting oversight of tobacco products from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to a new agency that would be created under the Department of Health and Human Services, CNN reports.

The proposal is part of the administration’s $4.8 trillion budget proposal released this week. “A new agency with the singular mission on tobacco and its impact on public health would have greater capacity to respond strategically to the growing complexity of new tobacco products,” the budget states.

“We strongly oppose the administration’s proposal to create a separate government agency to oversee tobacco products,” Mark Schoeberl, the American Heart Association’s Executive Vice President of Advocacy, said in a news release. “This unfortunately comes from an administration that has repeatedly placed the needs of the tobacco industry on equal footing with public health. The administration should instead focus on more meaningful efforts to end youth tobacco use and nicotine addiction. That starts with ensuring the FDA exercises the authority it has been granted to protect public health.”