[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 26 (Monday, June 29, 1998)]
[Pages 1182-1183]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Departure for Nashville, Tennessee, and an Exchange With 
Reporters

June 22, 1998

Tobacco

    The President. Good morning. I'm about to leave for Vice President 
Gore's Family ReUnion Conference in Nashville, something that he and 
Mrs. Gore have done now for many years, to discuss central concerns of 
America's families. And since we have been here in the White House, 
we've often used the conference as a springboard for new initiatives to 
strengthen our families and move our country forward.
    Today we're going to be talking about health concerns of American 
families. Of course, one of the biggest health concerns is youth 
smoking, something we've been discussing a lot around here lately. We 
all now know that 3,000 young people start smoking every day, and that 
1,000 will die earlier because of it, even though it's illegal in every 
State to sell cigarettes to young people.
    That is why 3 years ago, through the Food and Drug Administration, 
my administration began to act to end the practice of tobacco companies 
marketing cigarettes to children and why for the past year we've been 
working so hard to forge an honorable and bipartisan compromise to 
protect our children from the dangers of tobacco.
    A majority of the Senate now stands ready to join us, but last week 
the Republican leadership placed partisan politics and tobacco companies 
above our families. Their vote was not just pro-tobacco lobby; it was 
anti-family. The bipartisan bill they blocked would not only protect 
families from tobacco advertising aimed at children; it would protect 
children from drugs, give low and middle income families a tax cut by 
redressing the marriage penalty, and make substantial new investments in 
medical research, especially in cancer research.
    The congressional leadership seems willing to walk away from its 
obligation to our children, but this issue is too important to walk 
away. We'll continue to move forward on every possible front to protect 
children.
    By the end of year, the FDA's operation to enforce its ban on 
tobacco sales to minors will be active in nearly every State in America. 
And while we wait for Congress to heed the call of America's families, 
I'm instructing the Department of Health and Human Services to produce 
the first-ever annual survey on the brands of cigarettes teenagers smoke 
and which companies are most responsible for the problem. Parents, quite 
simply, have a right to know. Public health officials can also use this 
information to reduce youth smoking.
    The tobacco companies' automatic and angry dismissal of this new 
survey shows their continued disregards for their children's health and 
parents' concerns. We have a right to know. For years and years and 
years, they had information that proved tobacco was addictive and that 
demonstrated they were marketing to children, and they didn't think we 
had a right to know that either. I believe this is very helpful 
information, and we'll do our best to get good, accurate, honest data.
    Once this information becomes public, companies will then no longer 
be able to evade accountability, and neither will Congress. From now on, 
the new data will help

[[Page 1183]]

to hold tobacco companies accountable for targeting children.
    Again, I urge Congress to pass bipartisan comprehensive legislation 
rather than a watered-down bill written by the tobacco lobby. The 
leadership must put families' interests above big tobacco's interests. 
America's children deserve that, and I'll continue to do everything I 
can to ensure that they get it.
    Thank you.
    Q.  Isn't it a lost cause, Mr. President?
    The President.  No.
    Q.  Mr. President, absent any penalties, what confidence do you have 
that just finger pointing at the tobacco companies will have any impact 
on teen smoking?
    The President. I think if you have an annual survey--first of all, I 
think it will be easier to get penalties. But if you have an annual 
survey that shows a substantial differential in brand preference among 
young people, then it will clearly demonstrate that there is something 
in the nature of the advertising that has something to do with this.
    I mean, we basically know that the three elements involved here are 
advertising and access and then the general culture, so I believe that--
I think that advertising is very important. If there is no advertising--
excuse me, and price, the fourth thing is price. And so if advertising 
can be isolated and we can see that in brand preference, I think it will 
help us quite a lot to forge some good policies.
    But you've got to understand, I still think we can get legislation, 
and I'm not at all ready to give up on it. I'm going to keep fighting 
for it. A majority wants it. The leadership of the Republican Party in 
Congress does not want it--desperately doesn't want it. And the tobacco 
companies don't want it. But the American people do.
    And all of the evidence that I've seen shows that the more people 
know about what's in the bill, as opposed to their $40-million 
characterization of it, the more their support goes up. So we need to 
keep fighting, and we intend to continue to do that.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:18 a.m. outside the Oval Office at the 
White House.