29 Congressmen Send Letter to OMB Urging Cigars to be Exempt from FDA Regulations

Earlier this week, 29 members of Congress sent a letter to Mick Mulvaney, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), urging that the agency exempt premium cigars from regulation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

The letter comes just as Congress prepares to debate a massive spending bill that could include language that would exempt premium cigars from FDA control.

“We strongly urge you to consider an immediate extension of current regulatory deadlines that are burdening premium cigars and an ultimate exclusion for premium cigars from FDA oversight,” writes the letter, which was signed by 29 Republican members of Congress.

The cigar industry has had positive results lobbying OMB before. During the Obama administration, OMB removed proposed restrictions on flavored cigars and opened the door for a full exemption, though it was ultimately rejected.

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.