Ninth district Congressman Adam Smith voted today to eliminate a critical tobacco subsidy and to provide funds for the Food and Drug Administration to implement its program aimed at reducing minors' consumption of tobacco products; however, both amendments failed on the House floor.

During the debate on the Agriculture Appropriations bill, a bipartisan coalition of members offered an amendment to prohibit federal subsidization of tobacco crop insurance. To Smith's disappointment, the amendment failed by a xx to xx vote.

"Congress should not spend taxpayer dollars to support tobacco crops," said Smith, a member of the Congressional Task Force on Tobacco and Health. "We have finally gotten to the point where we accept that tobacco products are addictive and cause serious illness and death, so why should the federal government promote tobacco crops?"

Smith also supported an amendment to protect children from tobacco. The measure would have increased funding for the Food and Drug Administration by $10 million, directed toward the agency's tobacco initiative requiring retailers to check the photo identification of consumers purchasing tobacco products. The amendment failed by a 177 to 248 vote.

Programs to keep tobacco away from children is an appropriate use of federal funds, says Smith. "There is no question that we must keep tobacco away from children," Smith said. "The FDA is an agency designed to protect consumers, and protecting kids from tobacco should be a national priority."