Administration Proposes Moving Tobacco Regulation Out of FDA
The President’s proposed FY2021 budget includes a proposal to move the authority to regulate tobacco products out of the Food and Drug Administration and to create a new agency within the Department of Health and Human Services to focus exclusively on tobacco products regulation. The new agency would be led by a political appointee confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The proposed move was justified as eliminating a “distraction” from the FDA’s primary mission of ensuring safe drugs, medical products, and food. Such a move would require an act of Congress. The proposal has not received much support from the tobacco control community and most Congressional leaders dismissed the proposal.
Last Reviewed: February 2020
