BCHC, other orgs highlight tobacco-related issues for FY25 appropriations bills
January 2025
The Big Cities Health Coalition and 86 other organizations urged House and Senate leadership to ensure that FDA and CDC retain the authority and resources to oversee tobacco control and prevention.
Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., responsible for nearly 500,000 deaths and $241 billion in health care costs each year. Provisions in FY25 House appropriations bills would undercut efforts by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce tobacco use.
The bill would prevent FDA from issuing rules that would remove menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars from the market and reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes until the agency takes several actions related to the illegal sale of unauthorized e-cigarettes. This provision creates a false choice between addressing the harm caused by cigarettes and cigars and the harm caused by e-cigarettes. FDA can and should address both.
These rules will prevent millions of young people from using tobacco regularly and save millions of lives over time. FDA should be allowed to use the oversight authority it was given under the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, follow the science, and implement these rules to protect the public’s health.
While the Senate appropriations bill would not restrict FDA’s ability to oversee tobacco products, it would limit funding for FDA until the agency takes certain actions related to illegal e-cigarettes. We are concerned about the potential implications of withholding funds from FDA and believe the actions FDA would be required to take under the Senate bill are unlikely to significantly reduce the number of illegal e-cigarettes on the market.
The House appropriations bill would also eliminate funding for CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. Under the House bill, CDC would no longer be able to provide funding to states to implement evidence-based programs to prevent youth use of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products; states would no longer receive federal support for state quitlines; and CDC would not have the resources to continue its highly effective national public awareness campaign, Tips from Former Smokers. The Senate bill would maintain current funding for CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health.
As Congress works to finalize appropriations bills for fiscal year 2025, we urge members to not include provisions that would prevent or delay FDA from moving forward with rules on menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars, and reduced nicotine levels in cigarettes and to ensure that CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health at a minimum maintains current funding levels.
