Skip to Main Content

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s domestic policy chief on Friday suggested the regulation of tobacco and vape products — a critical function of the Food and Drug Administration — was a distraction and should be handled by another agency.

The remarks from Joe Grogan, the director of Trump’s Domestic Policy Council, came at a careening news conference at which he also slammed House Democrats’ marquee drug pricing bill and implied Medicaid expansions under President Barack Obama have furthered the opioid crisis.

advertisement

Grogan’s comments on tobacco come as the administration has wavered on its attempts to ban some flavored vape products. They also follow two years in which Scott Gottlieb, Trump’s former FDA commissioner, made tobacco and nicotine product regulation a focus of his tenure at the agency.

Get unlimited access to award-winning journalism and exclusive events.

Subscribe

STAT encourages you to share your voice. We welcome your commentary, criticism, and expertise on our subscriber-only platform, STAT+ Connect

To submit a correction request, please visit our Contact Us page.