US Democratic Lawmakers Slam FDA’s Juul Approval, Urge Stronger E-Cigarette Regulation

Key Points:

·FDA has approved Juul e-cigarettes: The FDA has decided to allow Juul Labs to continue selling its e-cigarettes in the U.S. market, despite previous denials from the federal government. 

·U.S. congressmen condemn and call for action: 

1.Raja Krishnamoorthi, the co-founder of the bipartisan congressional core group "End the Youth Vaping Epidemic," criticized the FDA's decision, stating that it promotes the popularity of e-cigarettes among youth, and called on the FDA to change its stance to prevent more young people from becoming addicted to e-cigarettes. 

2.Dick Durbin criticized the FDA for overlooking Juul's negative history, leading to American children contracting illnesses and becoming addicted. He called on the FDA to immediately reverse this decision and strengthen enforcement efforts to combat the illegal sale of unauthorized e-cigarette products. 

3.Regulatory shortcomings: The FDA has failed to properly enforce the Tobacco Control Act, with the deadline for reviewing e-cigarette company applications exceeding the court-mandated two and a half years, and refusing to take action against companies selling unauthorized e-cigarette products to children. 

4.Long-term efforts by lawmakers: The two congressmen have been dedicated to protecting children from harmful e-cigarette products, advocating for legislation to ban flavored e-cigarettes, combat illegal sales, and urging the FDA to enhance regulatory oversight.

【2Firsts News Flash】Recently, Democratic congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois and Democratic Senate whip Dick Durbin each issued statements on their personal websites condemning the decision by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the sale of Juul e-cigarettes (including mint flavor products) and calling for stronger regulation.

Congressman Krishnamurthy's statement:

“Illinois Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi condemns the FDA's decision to approve the sale of Juul e-cigarettes. Krishnamoorthi is a co-founder of the bipartisan congressional core group "End the Youth Vaping Epidemic" and the first congressman to investigate Juul's role in promoting teenage nicotine addiction. He has long been dedicated to advocating for stronger enforcement and regulation of e-cigarette products targeting children.”

The decision by the FDA to reauthorize Juul's products, including the popular mint flavored e-cigarettes that appeal to children, is a significant mistake that has fueled the popularity of e-cigarettes among teenagers. This ruling is undoubtedly a victory for the tobacco giants but undermines the bipartisan efforts made over the years to remove these addictive products from the market. The FDA must change its stance to prevent more young people from becoming lifelong addicts to e-cigarettes.

Congressman Krishna Murthy stated.

Congressman Krishnamurthy has been at the forefront of protecting children from the harmful effects of e-cigarette products. In 2019, he launched the first congressional investigation into the issue of youth vaping, exposing Juul's marketing tactics and pushing for legislation to ban flavored e-cigarettes and close loopholes for synthetic nicotine. He led the effort to write to both parties urging the FDA to crack down on illegally flavored e-cigarettes still widely available online and in stores. In April 2025, he praised the Supreme Court's unanimous decision to uphold the FDA's refusal to allow fruit and dessert-flavored e-cigarette products. In December, Congressman Krishnamurthy announced a new investigation into illegal e-cigarette products from China that are advertised targeting children. Most recently, he, along with Congresswoman Celeste Maloy, co-chair of the bipartisan core group "End Youth Vaping," called on the FDA to strengthen enforcement as there are still over 6,000 flavored products on the market, many of which are specifically designed to attract children.

Statement by Congressman Devlin:

Democratic Senate Whip Dick Durbin issued a statement criticizing the FDA's decision to authorize JUUL Labs to continue selling its e-cigarettes in the US market. Despite the federal government rejecting this authorization in 2022 and JUUL having a shameful history of deceiving and harming children for profit, the FDA still made this decision.

For years, Devlin has been warning about the dangers of the widespread use of e-cigarettes among adolescents and urging the FDA to use enforcement tools, comply with laws, and regulate these e-cigarettes. He pointed out that JUUL has caused millions of children to become addicted and falsely reported the dangers of its e-cigarettes, leading to this epidemic and forcing states to pay nearly $1 billion due to misleading advertising. Despite this shameful history, the FDA has turned a blind eye to JUUL's disqualification actions, resulting in American children falling ill and becoming addicted.

Debin stated:

“It is obvious that the Trump administration does not care about our children. Instead, they are giving the green light for large tobacco companies to continue selling poison for their own profit.”

Congressman Debin is urging FDA Director Makary to immediately reverse this decision and investigate the disturbing circumstances that led to it. He has repeatedly called on the FDA and the Department of Justice to better enforce federal laws and crack down on the illegal sale of unauthorized e-cigarette products. Debin criticizes the FDA for lacking urgency as millions of children begin using addictive e-cigarettes. For years, the FDA has failed to regulate e-cigarettes - currently, the deadline for the FDA to review applications from e-cigarette companies has exceeded the court-mandated two and a half years, and they have refused to enforce laws against companies selling illegal e-cigarette products to children. Under the Tobacco Control Act (TCA), e-cigarette companies are required to obtain FDA authorization before entering the market, but the agency has failed to properly enforce this authorization.

Devin has always been a strong advocate against big tobacco companies, especially after his father passed away from lung cancer when he was 14. During his time in the House of Representatives, he actively opposed big tobacco companies and spearheaded the push for smoking bans on airplanes, eventually expanding to include restaurants, office buildings, trains, and other public spaces. He also led numerous initiatives, such as granting the FDA authority over tobacco, raising tobacco taxes to prevent youth smoking, and strengthening support for smoking cessation tools.