Today, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, issued the following statement after the Senate confirmed Dr. Robert Califf as the new Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
“I wish to congratulate Dr. Califf on his confirmation as FDA Commissioner. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, I have prioritized the health and safety of all Americans, and it is my sincere hope that Dr. Califf shares this commitment to protect future generations as Commissioner.
“In this new capacity, his role will be more important than ever to ensure the FDA sets forth critical policies on a wide array of health issues, including addressing youth e-cigarette use and addiction and lead and other toxic heavy metals in baby food.
“I have long pushed for the FDA to help curb the youth vaping epidemic. This includes pushing for the agency to rule on all outstanding e-cigarette applications and ban all flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored e-cigarettes, which are targeting America’s children. I also believe the agency must act to keep excessively-addictive e-cigarettes—those with over 20 milligrams of nicotine per milligram—off the market, as my END ENDS legislation would do. Finally, the FDA must combat the introduction of synthetic nicotine replacements, which are also leading to nicotine addiction in our young people.
“As we uncovered in our Committee’s investigation into the baby food industry, some baby food manufacturers are turning a blind eye to the amounts of toxic heavy metal levels in the baby foods families are providing their infants. The FDA must also implement stricter standards for toxic heavy metals in baby food, as outlined in my Baby Food Safety Act, and must propose and finalize those standards faster. Under the FDA’s current plan, lead standards may not be finalized until April 2024, and arsenic standards will have to wait until 2024 and beyond. This delay is unacceptable—we cannot let baby food manufacturers continue to poison our kids.
“I look forward to working with Dr. Califf to ensure the FDA is successful in its mission to protect the health and safety of all Americans, especially our nation’s children.”
