The Resignation of FDA Commissioner Exposes How Executive Interference, Special-Interest Lobbying, And Cabinet-Level Conflicts Of Interest Have Fueled The Administration’s Push To Weaken Flavored Vaping And Kratom Restrictions at the Expense Of Public Health
Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this week launched an investigation into the Trump administration’s corrupt ties to Big Tobacco and the kratom industry.
In his letters to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Botanic Tonics CEO Jerry Ross, and David Waterfield, President and CEO of Reynolds American, Wyden exposes how the Trump administration has put special interests ahead of public health by weakening longstanding restrictions on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and pushing to make kratom products widely available in retail stores nationwide.
“From kratom and nicotine to pesticides and PFAS, you have yet to draw a line in the sand and buck corporate interests to Make America Healthy Again,” said Wyden in his letter to Kennedy. “Just like President Trump, your door is always open for corporate donors with demands and a checkbook.”
In February 2020, the Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of flavored vape products in retail stores because these products appeal to young people and can lead to lifelong nicotine addiction. Under Trump’s leadership, those protections were rolled back, putting the interests of Big Tobacco ahead of public health.
The reported timeline of these events are telling:
- April 30, 2026: Reynolds American donated $5 million to MAGA, Inc.
- May 2, 2026: Reynolds American Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jeff Raborn had lunch with President Trump. At lunch with the President, Raborn complained about FDA regulations that have long prohibited the sale of flavored vapes. President Trump called three of the nation’s highest-ranking health officials on the spot: then-FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, and HSS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- May 8, 2026: The Trump Administration issued a new policy directive allowing Big Tobacco companies to sell flavored e-cigarettes and vaping devices in retail stores across the country.
- May 12, 2026: Dr. Marty Makary resigned from his role as FDA Commissioner after repeatedly arguing against FDA approval of flavored vapes.
Similarly, members of the Trump Administration have abused their government positions to benefit the kratom industry and to enrich themselves in the process.
Clinicians and addiction specialists have warned that kratom “is increasing the prevalence of opioid use disorder.” And, while Kratom has been banned in eight states, it is still sold freely in gas stations and smoke shops; in more than a dozen states, there is no minimum age required for purchase. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin has advocated for restrictions on kratom’s synthetic competitors while personally holding a financial stake in Oklahoma-based Botanic Tonics reportedly worth as much as $1 million.
Senator Wyden is demanding that the Trump Administration, Big Tobacco, and the kratom industry provide the Senate Finance Committee with the facts about their reported handshake deals by August 31, 2026. The American people deserve transparency and accountability when government officials put special interests ahead of public health.
The text of this letter to HHS Secretary Kennedy is here.
The text of this letter to Botanic Tonics is here.
The text of this letter to Reynolds American is here.
A web version of this release is here.
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