In a letter provided exclusively to The Hill, the congressman said: Rob Whitman (Republican of Virginia) and
raja krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf to follow up on unanswered inquiries sent to the agency in November.
“We appreciate the recent joint federal operation that seized more than 1.4 million illegal e-cigarettes in December 2023, but more needs to be done,” they wrote. “Illegal electronic cigarette products from China” [People’s Republic of China] They currently account for more than half of all e-cigarette products sold in the United States and are a major contributor to underage vaping rates. ”
Lawmakers highlighted FDA data that shows this. 1 in 4 young people reported using e-cigarettes daily, and most said they preferred flavored versions.
They specifically named the brand. elf bar 56% of users reported using something that was “illegally imported” from China. This product line features brightly colored e-cigs with a variety of fruity flavors.
Critics widely claim that these types of products are intentionally designed to: appeal to children And young people. Despite the FDA's ban on most fruit- and mint-flavored e-cigarettes, the products continue to flow into the United States and become available for purchase.
Lawmakers asked what the FDA plans to do to stop the flow of e-cigarettes from China and whether it plans to file lawsuits against manufacturers. They also asked why the FDA has not issued a rule requiring foreign manufacturing registration, which is allowed under the Tobacco Control Act.
The FDA has passed its deadline for reviewing premarket tobacco product applications required for new tobacco products to be legally sold in the United States. However, the deadline was missed.
Mr. Krishnamoorthi and Mr. Whitman demanded to know when the FDA would complete its review and pressed the agency about the delay.
