Reynolds subsidiary gives $5M to MAGA Inc., FDA eases vaping

A subsidiary of the tobacco company Reynolds American donated $5 million to the super political action committee MAGA Inc., which supports President Donald Trump, on April 30. Two days later, tobacco industry executives met with Trump at his golf club in Jupiter, Florida, where they expressed dissatisfaction with federal regulation of vaping products.

Less than a week after that meeting, the Food and Drug Administration issued new guidance that could allow major cigarette manufacturers to sell flavored vaping products and permit higher nicotine levels in nicotine pouches. The policy shift bypassed the agency’s traditional rulemaking process.

The sequence of events has drawn scrutiny from critics who question the relationship between political donations, corporate access, and federal policy. A White House spokesperson, Kush Desai, stated that the only guiding factor behind the administration’s health policymaking is gold standard science, pointing to evidence that vaping products can help adults quit smoking.

According to campaign finance records, the recent $5 million contribution brought the Reynolds subsidiary’s total donations to MAGA Inc. to $8 million. The same entity had...