[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 12, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H3001-H3002]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     BIG TOBACCO MONEY SEEMS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR NATION'S KIDS

  (Mr. MEEHAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, 5 million kids who are now under the age of 
18 are likely to die from smoking-related illness. Decisive Federal 
action is needed now to address the historically high levels of smoking 
among our Nation's children.
  Yet, this Congress is on the verge of waiving the Federal 
Government's portion of the tobacco settlement monies to the States 
without ensuring that any of these funds be spent to protect our kids. 
We are simply closing our eyes to the number one preventable cause of 
death in America. That is unacceptable.
  Frankly, I am not surprised. Big tobacco gave an astonishing $4.5 
million in soft money contributions to the Republican party during the 
1997-1998 elections cycle, effectively killing the leading tobacco 
reform legislation.
  The fact of the matter is that public health groups simply cannot 
compete with big tobacco when it comes to soft money contributions. The 
pro-tobacco

[[Page H3002]]

language in the supplemental bill is just another example of what 
happens when we allow big money to talk louder than kids' lives on 
Capitol Hill.

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