[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H586-H587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           CLOSE THE LOOPHOLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on the 
Biden administration to close the disposable e-cigarette loophole. I 
commend this administration's work to curtail youth e-cigarette use. 
Youth usage of cigarettes and vaping is at a historic low, but the 
FDA's guidance issued by the previous administration in January 2020 
that prohibits flavored e-cigarettes does not apply to any of the 
disposable e-cigarette products currently on the market.
  It is important to note that nondisposable products with cartridge 
inserts are already banned by the FDA, but the loophole on disposable 
e-cigarettes has allowed a surge in youth usage, according to the 
Centers for Disease Control 2022 National Youth Tobacco Study. The 
study shows that usage is up by 2,000 percent since 2019.
  It is a dangerous oversight that can easily be fixed by closing the 
Trump-era loophole. Disposable e-cigarettes are single use. They are 
not meant to be refilled or recharged.
  Right now, in smoke shops and corner stores around the country, you 
might see dozens of disposable e-cigarette products in flavors like 
iced apple mango, strawberry, pineapple, and even lemonade. These 
products are sleek, affordable, pocket-sized, and highly accessible to 
our youth.
  The President can take immediate action by closing this Trump-era 
loophole. The future and safety of American youth depends on this.


              Rejecting African-American History is Wrong

  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, last week Florida Governor Ron 
DeSantis' administration blocked a new advanced placement African-
American history course from being taught in Florida high schools, 
arguing that the course violates State law and is historically 
inaccurate.
  The DeSantis administration's rejection of the AP course is 
unfathomable, unsound, and unacceptable. Instead of improving and 
expanding on the quality of education for Florida high school students, 
this administration's extreme agenda aims to roll back the clock by 
denying its students the right to explore the painful, complex, and 
rich history of African Americans in our country.
  The rejection of this course is an attempt to erase from our memory 
the truth about how hate and bigotry has destroyed our Nation's moral 
fabric and ushered in one of the darkest moments of United States 
history.
  Governor Ron DeSantis claimed that he wants to protect students from

[[Page H587]]

``woke indoctrination,'' but what he really wants to do is to deny the 
truth by making bigoted relics and policies more digestible for future 
generations.
  It is only when we acknowledge and learn from our past that we can 
embrace the present and confidently shape our future.
  This blatant attack on the importance and value of African-American 
history and culture fails to move our States and our country forward. 
It is these theatrics and schemes by the GOP that cripple our Nation's 
growth and exemplify a poor reflection of who we are as a nation.
  America's diversity is, in fact, its greatest strength, and every 
culture has to be respected and celebrated.

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