[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 50 (Wednesday, April 29, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H2443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    TOBACCO COMPANIES ARE THE LARGEST CORPORATE CONTRIBUTORS TO THE 
                            REPUBLICAN PARTY

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, the Republican leadership is playing 
politics with their refusal to act on one of the most addictive drugs 
around: nicotine.
  The truth is that, according to the Center for Disease Control, teens 
who smoke are three times more likely than nonsmokers to use alcohol, 
eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to 
use cocaine. Yet the Republican leadership refuses to bring legislation 
to the floor of this House that could drastically reduce teen smoking, 
perhaps because the tobacco companies are the single largest corporate 
contributors to the Republican Party. Every day the Republican 
leadership fails to schedule debate on the tobacco issue, 3,000 more 
American kids will pick up this deadly habit, and 1,000 of them will 
eventually die of a tobacco-related illness.
  Mr. Speaker, if the Republican leadership truly wants to save lives, 
they should schedule a vote on comprehensive tobacco legislation today.

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