Who are Mitch McConnell’s former staffers lobbying for tobacco and vaping?
NPR also found that vaping and tobacco companies are currently employing McConnell's former policy adviser, his former policy director and his former chief of staff to lobby on their behalf.
Will Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell raise the tobacco purchase age?
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., says one of his "highest priorities" is to take on the leading cause of preventable death in the United States: smoking. McConnell has sponsored a bill, along with Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, that would increase the tobacco purchase age from 18 to 21.
Did Mitch McConnell tell Dick Cheney to vote against Trump?
The book claims that Cheney implored McConnell to speak out forcefully against Trump and also vote to convict him in the Senate. But McConnell had his own idea. “We don’t disagree on the substance; we just disagree on the tactics,” McConnell told Cheney, according to the book.
What does Mitch McConnell think of Donald Trump?
(CNN) Mitch McConnell takes a decidedly dim view of Donald Trump. The Senate minority leader views the ex-president as a has-been who will fade from the limelight the further he -- and the public -- is removed from his time a president.
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What was McConnell's relationship with the tobacco industry?
An NPR review of McConnell's relationship with the tobacco industry over the decades has found that McConnell repeatedly cast doubt on the health consequences of smoking, repeated industry talking points word-for-word, attacked federal regulators at the industry's request and opposed bipartisan tobacco regulations going back decades.
What age does Mitch McConnell want to raise tobacco sales?
Mitch McConnell And The Tobacco Industry: Documents Show Close Ties The Senate majority leader wants to raise the age for tobacco sales to 21. An NPR review of once-secret documents shows how closely McConnell has worked with the industry over decades.
How much did McConnell get paid for his time?
The main lobbying organization for the tobacco industry at the time said it would also pay McConnell $2,000 for his time.
Why do e-cigarette companies want to avoid liability?
E-cigarette companies want to avoid liability for the youth vaping epidemic, says Eubanks, and "the industry's support for such measures gets them off the hook.". McConnell is "covering for them," says Dr. David Kessler, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
What is Mitch McConnell's priority?
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., says one of his "highest priorities" is to take on the leading cause of preventable death in the United States: smoking. McConnell has sponsored a bill, along with Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, that would increase the tobacco purchase age from 18 to 21. In a speech on the Senate floor last month, ...
Why is Kentucky so supportive of tobacco?
McConnell has argued that his support for the industry is because it employs tens of thousands of farmers in the state. "Farming tobacco put shoes on kids' feet," McConnell said in May. "It put dinner on the table." In the 1990s, tobacco contributed more than $2 billion annually to Kentucky's economy, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal at the time.
How much does Kentucky spend on tobacco?
Kentucky also spends $1.9 billion on smoking-related health problems like lung cancer, strokes and premature birth. "Our state once grew tobacco like none other," said McConnell. "And now we're being hit by the health consequences of tobacco use like none other.".
