"Congress should not miss this important opportunity to curb tobacco use by minors. My goals in the legislative process are to help eliminate youth smoking, educate all Americans about the dangers of tobacco use and crack down on the tobacco companies. The language approved by the Finance Committee today sets the stage for the Senate to develop a proposal that works toward these goals and contains punitive measures against the tobacco companies. It was wrong for the industry to market to minors and mislead Congress and the public. The unprincipled behavior endangered the public health and has had an impact on our health care delivery systems."