Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi Announces New Inquiry into Illicit Vapes, Urges Greater Action to Combat Youth Vaping Crisis

CHICAGO – Today, Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) joined with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and other local officials at Lurie Children’s Hospital to address new efforts to combat youth vaping, including announcing a new investigation into Chinese illicit vape manufacturers. Around 95 percent of vaping products used globally are manufactured in the People's Republic of China (PRC), and hundreds of products, including the popular Elf Bar, are sold nationwide despite the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only authorizing 34 tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products.

"Hundreds of illegal vaping and e-cigarette products, often marketed with bright packaging and ads targeting young people, are still readily available on the market despite lacking approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)," Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi said. "This blatant and unlawful effort to addict our children to nicotine and tobacco products is unacceptable, which is why my committee has launched an investigation into illicit vapes from the People's Republic of China. The FDA must heed my request and take action to remove all illegal vaping products from shelves in Cook County, across Illinois, and throughout the U.S. Youth vaping continues to be a serious public health crisis in America, and I am dedicated to working with local officials like Sheriff Dart, as well as my colleagues in Congress and on the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, to send a clear message to illegal vape manufacturers: Our kids are not for sale."

“No matter how many laws are passed, or how much outreach our officers do to educate children on the dangers of vaping, is impossible for my office or any other local law enforcement agency to stem the flow of these dangerous chemicals into our communities,” Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said. “Like the opioid crisis, the unrelenting flood of toxic vaping devices, flavored like candy and marketed to appeal to youth, is a public health crisis that demands federal resources and solutions.”

Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi has advocated for greater action to rein in e-cigarettes and vaping products during his time in Congress, including his 2019 investigation into JUUL that found the company’s advertisements were specifically targeted towards kids. Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi is also the co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus to End the Youth Vaping Epidemic.