First up is Fox: A group of Senate Republicans is warning the Trump administration that the flood of “illegal Chinese e-cigarettes” entering the country will have darker side effects.

Several Senate Republicans issue warning to Treasury secretary Scott Bessant In a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the Chinese government is making huge profits from the devices.

Given the links between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the China State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (CSTMA), there is a possibility that so-called smart e-cigarettes could be used as spying devices.

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A group of Senate Republicans are warning of dark risks associated with “illegal Chinese e-cigarettes,” including how they could be used as spying devices. (CFOTO/Future Publishing, Getty Images)

Lawmakers accused “highly sophisticated” e-cigarettes of being able to connect to a person’s phone and becoming so commonplace.

“These devices have the ability to cause data exfiltration or malware infection, as well as access and collect sensitive user data,” they wrote. “Given the interconnected relationships between Chinese industry and national intelligence, the targeting of U.S. military personnel by these devices raises profound national security concerns.”

president Donald Trump He made cracking down on Chinese vaping one of the many side missions his administration pursued last year, even trying to suppress the supply of vaping devices at ports across the country.

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President Donald Trump arrives at a ceremony to dedicate a portion of the Southern Boulevard section at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 16, 2026. The Palm Beach Town Council recently voted to rename the Presidential Donald J. Trump Boulevard to the Presidential Donald J. Trump Boulevard. (Julia Demary Nishinson/AP Photo)

Take last year as an example, Trump’s Justice Department The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had seized approximately $90 million worth of e-cigarette products from China.

Lawmakers include Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., Thom Tillis, R-Ark., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Katie BrittRepublican Sens. Eric Schmitt of Alabama, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and nine others praised Trump’s “aggressive, multi-agency enforcement action” in response to the influx of e-cigarettes, but noted that “its scale and consequences require a comprehensive strategy and response.”

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Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., is one of several Republicans pushing the Trump administration to further crack down on Chinese e-cigarettes. (Michael Sciaglo/Getty Images)

It’s not just an espionage threat, either.

Republicans believe money generated from e-cigarette sales could be used for Chinese military or technological initiatives aimed at harming U.S. interests.

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They also noted that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has linked these e-cigarettes to mexican cartelsin particular using these devices and operations as money laundering fronts. Lawmakers said the trade-based money laundering scheme was part of a scheme to divert fentanyl proceeds on behalf of the cartel.

“Given the scale and severity of this threat, we urge the Treasury Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Use respective law enforcement and diplomatic authorities crack down on illegal Chinese e-cigarettes,” they wrote.