Congressman vapes during committee meeting to prove point

The vaping congressman is back at it again.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), who infamously puffed from a nicotine vaporizer during a committee meeting last year, protested a proposal to ban e-cigarettes on airplanes by vaping in the middle of a markup on Tuesday.

This time, Hunter pulled out two different devices to illustrate what he argued were flaws in an amendment that Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) offered to an aviation bill.

Norton’s proposal would prohibit e-cigarettes on planes by changing the definition of smoking to include “a device that delivers nicotine to a user of the device in the form of a vapor that is inhaled to simulate the experience of smoking.”

{mosads}

But Duncan — a vocal supporter of e-cigarettes — said that definition is problematic.

“Let me show you the problem I have with Ms. Norton’s amendment,” he said.

Duncan whipped out a small electronic cigarette that contained nicotine and took a puff from it. Then he pulled out a larger red vaporizer that contained no nicotine.

“This is not covered … under Ms. Norton’s amendment,” said Duncan, who puffed on the second device in the exact same manner to prove his point. “That doesn’t make sense to me. Either say that an e-cigarette is illegal, whether it has nicotine or not in it.”

Duncan pointed out that the Department of Transportation has already banned the use of e-cigarettes on flights, and said flight attendants can already stop passengers from vaping.

“And they do,” Duncan assured fellow lawmakers. “Every time we fly, every week, that’s what they tell us.”

The panel ultimately decided, in a 30-29 vote, to include Norton’s amendment in the aviation bill.