(Washington, D.C.) — U.S.  Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have introduced the bipartisan Tobacco-Free Youth Act, which would raise the nationwide minimum age to buy all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping devices, from 18 to 21.

On the Senate floor, Kaine blamed e-cigarettes for the recent spike in tobacco use in Virginia and across the nation. He said “e-cigarettes are the most commonly used product among the young and they’re frequently used in combination with other tobacco products.”  Kaine cited CDC statistics and said “more than one-in-four high schoolers and one-in-four middle schoolers in 2018 had used a tobacco product in the past 30 days,” which he called “a dramatic increase from 2017.”

Kaine also called for upping the age to buy tobacco products to members of the military.