authority to regulate these products and it was intended to provide a path forward for innovative products, tobacco products as well, placing hope in advancements in research and development to provide new options for american consumers that are down the continuum of risk for those individuals who choose, potentially replacing their use of combustible cigarettes with electronic ones. the f.d.a. does not have a single governing regulation for the review. almost a decade after enactment, and more than $5 billion later, the f.d.a. has failed to issue one foundational regulation governing the viable review of any tobacco product. let me state that again. almost a decade after enactment and $5 billion later, the f.d.a. has failed to issue a foundational regulation governing the viable review of any tobacco product. this failure would be unacceptable from any other regulated industry. the center for tobacco products receives hundreds of millions of user fee dollars each year and he
out how our founding fathers intended to be a nation by and for the people, to be governed by coequal branches with the branch carrying the weight of policy development being congress, the house and the senate. the executive to have quite a different role in executing the laws. judiciary with yet another role in weighing whether the laws are in accordance with the parameters of the constitution, the principles of the constitution. so there we are, the branch of government, the senate and the house, with the power of the purse, with the responsibility for laying out the governing vision rules for our nation, and yet a quarter of our government goes unfunded for a fourth week. why? why is this chamber not full of senators? why are we not debating funding bills? why is there not a bill before the senate right now? it s because in this chamber, the rhythm of the floor is guided by the majority leader. the majority leader refuses to put the bill on the floor so that we can go abou