Frank Pallone: “And every survey has shown that if we significantly increase the price of a pack of cigarettes, it is going to decrease…”

“And every survey has shown that if we significantly increase the price of a pack of cigarettes, it is going to decrease youth smoking. What I have seen is like a 10 percent increase in cigarette prices leads to like a 7 percent drop in youth smoking, so it is almost in direct relationship, the price percentage increase versus the decrease in the percent of youth smoking. But, my colleague from Connecticut, I mean, only the very reason why the Speaker made these statements over the weekend is because there was bipartisan legislation that was moving. And it was very easy for him while nothing was happening to say that he wanted to move legislation and it was not the Republicans' fault that it was not moving. But now that it is moving with a Republican sponsor, he has to kill it, because otherwise there will be a bipartisan consensus to pass something and that is the last thing that Speaker Gingrich wants. It was the movement of the McCain bill, in my opinion, that is causing the Speaker to say, whoa, we do not want anything to happen here, and he started attacking Senator McCain's bill. Ms. DeLAURO. It is the last thing that his friends in the tobacco industry want. And, therefore, he has had this reversal of opinion. And it was easier to say it several months ago when this was all in the throes of talk. Now we are down to concrete business here. Now we have a piece of legislation with bipartisan support. We can move this, and it is sad.”