Tom Harkin: “I hear all kinds of rumblings that the Republican side of the aisle, at some time today, is going to try to kill or will…”

“I hear all kinds of rumblings that the Republican side of the aisle, at some time today, is going to try to kill or will effectively kill the tobacco bill. I want to take a few minutes to talk about that and try to recap, if I can, why we are here and why we have spent so much time on the tobacco bill. Three thousand kids every day take up smoking; 1,000 of them will die prematurely. Teenage use of tobacco products is at a 17-year high. And 42.7 percent of high school kids are now using some form of tobacco products. Ninety-one percent of 3-year-olds in this country recognize Joe Camel, and recognize him in a friendly manner. And thanks to the court cases that we have had in several States, we now have the industry documents that reveal years and years and years of lying and deception by the tobacco companies. That is why we are here. That is why we have a tobacco bill--to put an end to teen smoking, to put an end to the lies and deceptions of the tobacco companies, to save kids' lives. The end game is to put an end to what I just talked about and to reduce teen smoking. That is the end game. That is why we are here--to cut down on teen smoking.”