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Still Waiting to Exhale: "Do Nothing" Republican Leaders Do Their Thing for Big Tobacco Contributors

The House Republican leadership in the U.S. Congress told the public to hold its breath and wait for a Republican tobacco bill to address the nation's number one health problem. Republican leaders promised to introduce their bill before adjourning for the August recess. We're still waiting. Instead, they decided to ignore the problem and allow tobacco companies to escape accountability. The House recessed for the month of August without doing anything, and it is likely lawmakers will continue to try to protect the tobacco industry when they return in September.

The Republican leadership did just what Big Tobacco wants them to do about the hundreds of thousands of Americans who die each year from tobacco-caused illnesses, about the millions of children and teenagers addicted to tobacco products, and about the billions of dollars taxpayers spend subsidizing tobacco-related health care costs. Big Tobacco wants the House to do nothing to address these problems and the House Republican leadership did what Big Tobacco wants.

Based on their "principles" announced in June, it was clear the Republican Task Force working to come up with an alternative to the bi-partisan Hansen-Meehan-Waxman bill (H.R. 3868) was not even considering holding the tobacco industry accountable for the decades of death caused by tobacco products, for marketing to children, for covering up health studies. The Task Forces' principles were actually a step backward from present law in key areas, such as FDA authority to regulate tobacco products. Yet, the Republican leadership could not even agree to anything, probably out of fear that the strong support for H.R. 3868 could lead to its passage if both bills were brought to the floor.

Why did the Republicans decide to do nothing? Look at the campaign contributions. Current members of the U.S. House Republican leadership continue to lead the way in collecting huge amounts in tobacco industry PAC contributions for their 1998 re-election campaigns. Big Tobacco continues to pour unregulated "soft money" into the coffers of the national political parties. So far in this election cycle (1997/1998), U.S. House incumbents have benefitted from more than $4.75 million in PAC and soft money contributions. Republicans received more than $3,810,000 (80%) while Democrats received $972,000 (20%).

Tobacco PAC Contributions to the U.S. House -- Republican Leaders on Top 20 List for Taking Most Contributions from Big Tobacco

House incumbents have already taken more than $1 million from the tobacco industry's PACs in the 1997/98 election cycle, as reported to the FEC on July 1, 1998. Republican House members received $676,455 (66%), nearly twice the $349,871 (34%) that House Democrats received.

• House Republicans lead the pack of Big Tobacco's Congressional Sweethearts. Sixteen of the top 20 recipients of tobacco PAC money in 1997/1998 are Republicans (see attached table for the full list).

• All four House Republican leaders are on the top 20 list. Majority Whip Tom Delay (R-TX) took $15,000 in tobacco PAC contributions, followed by Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) at $13,000. Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) took $12,000, and House Republican Conference Chairman John Boehner (R-OH) took $10,800. The average total contributions for these four leaders was $12,700, over five times more than the average House member's $2,360.

Tobacco Soft Money to National Political Parties -- Republican Party Committees Favored Four to One

On top of their direct contributions to House Republican leaders, the tobacco industry also gains influence and access through their large soft money contributions to the national political parties.

• According to watchdog group Common Cause, from 1987-1997, the tobacco industry contributed $16 million in soft money to the two national political parties. These contributions overwhelmingly favored the Republican national party committees, which received $13 million (81%) compared to the Democratic national party committees, which received $3 million (19%).

• This pattern has continued in the most recent election cycle (1997/1998) -- actually favoring Republicans a little more than usual. According to Common Cause, through the first 15 months of the cycle (3/31/98), the tobacco industry contributed $3.76 million in soft money to the national political parties. More than $3.13 million (83%) of these soft money contributions went to Republicans, while Democrats received $622,000 (17%).

The Money Connection

Based on past studies by Public Citizen and other groups, it is clear that Big Tobacco gives the biggest contributions to those who do the industry's bidding on Capitol Hill. In 1997, House members who voted most often with the tobacco industry got contributions more than 9 times higher than those who consistently voted against Big Tobacco in the 1995/1996 election cycle (see report at www.citizen.org/congress). In 1998, it looks like more of the same. Although Speaker Gingrich promised the American public this was an issue he would do something about, instead he and his leadership cronies are doing nothing. While we hope that the promised tobacco legislation will appear in the House in September, Public Citizen warns the public: With the money Big Tobacco spends to curry favor with House Republican leaders, don't hold your breath.

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