Dusty Johnson: “As we begin our second week of debate on the tobacco settlement legislation introduced by Senator McCain, we are faced…”

“As we begin our second week of debate on the tobacco settlement legislation introduced by Senator McCain, we are faced with a cloture vote on H.R. 1270, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. As we all know, the issues surrounding nuclear waste storage are extremely complex, often contentious, and no simple solutions exist. While I do not agree with everything in the bill, I have supported legislative action on this critical issue in the past and hope to in the future. This country cannot afford inaction on this issue, and it is my hope that we will soon move to address this vital issue. That being said, I oppose the effort to invoke cloture on H.R. 1270 today. We concluded one week of debate on a national tobacco settlement prior to the Memorial Day recess. That legislation, which is absolutely critical to public health, and especially children's health, remains the pending business before the Senate, and I cannot support any effort to substitute other legislation before this body at this time. We all know the vital statistics surrounding underage tobacco use. Every day, 3,000 children will start smoking. One thousand of them will die prematurely from this addiction. It is time to pass comprehensive tobacco legislation that addresses the critical public health issues caused by tobacco use. Such an approach will reduce teen smoking, invest in public health research and programs to help smokers quit, and protect tobacco farmers and their communities.”