A member of Congress has directly challenged the FDA with hard questions about its deeming regulations, which amount to a ban on all products now available. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf on May 18 expressing his concerns, according to a press release from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Johnson is chairman of that committee, which is reviewing the regulatory burdens that federal agencies place on small businesses. The letter may have been prompted by complaints from one of Johnson’s constituents, Christian Berkey, chairman of Johnson Creek Vapor Company, which is located in Hartland, Wisconsin. Johnson Creek is one of the oldest vapor products companies in the United States.

Berkey, according to Johnson’s letter, says the FDA regulations will “extinguish a multi-billion dollar industry and put tens of thousands of people out of business.” This is exactly right, since the regulations mandate an exhorbitantly expensive application process that few can afford, and still doesn’t guarantee approval.