Citizens Against Government Waste Names Rep. Frank Pallone March 2020 Porker of the Month

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) our March 2020 Porker of the Month for wanting to ban flavored tobacco vaping products.

On February 28, 2020, the House of Representatives voted to pass Rep. Frank Pallone’s bill, The Protecting American Lungs and Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act. The bill would prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products. Rep. Pallone’s legislation would also impose a $9.9 billion tax on vaping products over 10 years, which would destroy tens of thousands of jobs. It’s been proven that vaping and e-cigarettes have been more successful than gum or patches to help people quit smoking. In the United Kingdom, there is no ban on flavored tobacco products, and a March 4, 2020 report found that “smoking rates are continuing to fall rapidly and harm from vaping is rare.” Rep. Pallone is blatantly ignoring the U.K.’s success on vaping.

CAGW President Tom Schatz said, “Rep. Pallone’s main interest should be to reduce the number of smokers across America. Instead he is putting millions of Americans at risk who rely on vaping to kick their deadly habits. Banning flavored tobacco products will discourage the smokers who only use flavors, driving them back to using cigarettes. There will be a black market for e-cigarettes for those who cannot access flavors, further endangering the health of millions of Americans. For trying to create a health crisis that can be avoided, Rep. Pallone is deserving member of the March Porker of the Year.”

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  For more than two decades, Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers and government officials who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.

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