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| S P E C I A L | Tobacco Under Attack |
Clinton and Congress weigh tobacco settlement
September 3, 1997
Web posted at: 2:00 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT)WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Senate committee was hearing testimony Wednesday on the proposed national settlement holding the tobacco industry accountable for making millions of smokers sick, and arranging for a $368 billion payback. President Clinton, who has withheld judgment on the deal announced in June, is expected to weigh in soon.
Before it can be enacted, the tentative agreement must be turned into legislation signed by the president.
That leaves lawmakers -- and Clinton -- left to decide if the plan is a public health windfall, as supporters claim. Or, if it's a tobacco-industry concocted sellout, as critics argue. They fear Congress will add amendments that will compromise public health.
Among the complicated proposals to be discussed are:
- Regulation of cigarettes by the Food and Drug Administration.
- Penalties against tobacco companies that continue to sell to young people.
- Bans on many forms of tobacco advertising.
For now, sources say, the Clinton administration is debating what stand to take. The argument on one side calls for major changes, including tougher cigarette regulation.
But with congressional elections coming next year, other presidential advisers see advantages in backing a politically attractive settlement.
Friends and foes of the deal agree, only Clinton has the clout to work out the differences.
As one insider put it, the tobacco settlement is on life-support, its fate hanging somewhere between Capitol Hill and the White House.
Medical Correspondent Jeff Levine contributed to this report.
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- Message Board:What do you think state tobacco deals mean for national settlement?
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- What do state tobacco deals mean for national settlement? - August 25, 1997
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- Florida takes tobacco industry to court - August 1, 1997
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