Two Critical Agencies are Gone
Big Tobacco Wins — Unless We Act
Overnight, thousands of employees at the Department of Health and Human Services lost their jobs, including the entire staff at the Center for Disease Control’s Office on Smoking and Health (CDC OSH) and much of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products. This is exactly what the tobacco industry has wanted for years. The elimination of these key offices marks the culmination of Big Tobacco’s decades-long plot to defund and dismantle agencies that protect public health and expose the industry’s harms. Could this be the long-game strategy after significant losses in the multi-state Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) and the Department of Justice’s RICO case ruling, which included having to publicly post corrective statements about lies the industry spread about cigarettes?
CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health wasn’t just any office. It was the only federal entity solely focused on preventing commercial tobacco use. It supported Quit Lines and created the Tips from Former Smokers campaign, which shared true stories about the health consequences of smoking; it funded state and Tribal programs and developed Best Practices to advise states on how to use evidence-based strategies to reduce tobacco use and eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke; and it produced landmark Surgeon General reports — including the 2024 report that clearly laid out how the industry worked to erode smokefree protections. The extinction of CDC OSH is more than a superficial budget cut — it’s a monumental victory for an industry that thrives on addicting people to a hazardous, life-threatening substance when no one is looking.
This is why ANR’s work is more critical than ever.
Tobacco prevention is one of the most cost-effective public health measures. For every dollar invested, we save lives and prevent billions in healthcare costs. But with the dismantling of federal and state programs, who will fund the prevention work that helps people with their nicotine addiction? Where will people go for the help of Quit Lines or other local programs. Who will evaluate harmful tobacco bills? Who will push back against the industry’s well-funded lobbying against lifesaving smokefree indoor air laws or restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products?
Big Tobacco is already working behind the scenes to weaken or preempt smokefree protections and using its political power to block regulations like menthol bans. As federal health and regulatory agencies scale back, the industry will intensify its efforts to undermine public health and restore its ability to widely sell tobacco products and go backwards to the days of smoke-filled offices, restaurants, and airplanes.
ANR is committed to fighting back — but we need your help.
CDC OSH existed because tobacco is still the #1 cause of preventable death, disease, and health costs — and the tobacco industry is still the most dangerous and powerful player in the room. With federal support for tobacco control in cities and states in jeopardy, Big Tobacco is poised to push their deadly products with even less oversight.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Behind every smoking statistic are real people — the hundreds of thousands of lives lost every year to an industry that thrives on addiction and interference.
Your support ensures that we can continue advocating for smokefree air and protect future generations from the tobacco industry’s harmful influence.
Will you stand with us? Show your support by being a part of our Action Network and become a Frequent Breather. A contribution today ensures that we can continue the fight for smokefree air, protect future generations, and hold the industry accountable.
