FDA/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s nominee for FDA commissioner declined at his confirmation hearing Wednesday [11-20-19] to promise to move forward with an e-cigarette flavor ban that the administration has put on hold…Hahn added that he was committed to ending vaping by teenagers. Trump in September announced his intention to ban flavored vapes including mint and menthol, then reportedly held up FDA action on the ban out of concerns it would cost vaping industry jobs and votes in his 2020 reelection campaign. The FDA guidance, which had cleared Office of Management and Budget review earlier this month, was not listed this morning on the administration’s new regulatory agenda, which sets policy priorities for the next several months. Senate HELP ranking member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) pressed Hahn on the issue, asking whether he would cave to political pressure and White House opposition to the ban.”
–Sarah Owermohle, “Trump FDA pick stops short of committing to flavor ban,” Politico, November 20, 2019 12:06 pm