News

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a nomination hearing of Heidi Overton to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs on Sept. 24, 2026. Overton is a deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy at the White House working on health issues, is a medical doctor and has a doctorate in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins University. Former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned in May and Kyle Diamantas has been serving as Acting Commissioner. Read more here.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) has received questions about how companies can improve the quality of their premarket applications under the substantial equivalence (SE) pathway. To help, FDA is launching a three-part webinar series on the SE predicate review process.

Muswick Wholesale Grocers is a family-owned wholesale distributor based in Little Rock, AR, serving independent convenience stores, gas stations, smoke shops and other retailers throughout the region. The company provides a broad selection of grocery, beverage, tobacco, nicotine, candy, snack and general merchandise products, with a focus on competitive pricing, dependable service and strong customer relationships. The Muswick Wholesale Grocers goal is to help independent retailers succeed by providing the products, promotions and support they need to operate and grow their businesses.

Contact information for Muswick, LLC is as follows:

Mark Mandani
mark@muswick.com
Muswick, LLC
4000 W. 65th Street
Little Rock, AR 72209
(501) 374-5562
https://www.muswick.com

Distributors

Register online today. Marketplace is the premier national conference and trade show exclusively for the wholesale distributors of convenience products.

• Pay one low rate per company to register as many company personnel as desired.
  • Connect with top trading partners and solution providers during the trade show.
  • Learn from expert and noteworthy presenters in timely education sessions focusing on the economy, industry trends, AI, and more!
  • Participate in the Distributor Showcase* for a unique opportunity for manufacturers to visit with wholesale distributor members beyond the trade show.
  • Network at receptions and celebrate an industry peer at the All-Star Dinner.

Exhibitors

• Exhibit space at Marketplace 2027 is nearly sold out. Secure your space now.
• If your company has already reserved exhibit space, booth assignments will be shared soon, and the 2027 planning guide will be emailed to your designated team lead in mid-October.

Please reach out to eventsupport@cdaweb.net with any questions.

Marketplace Website | Distributor Registration | Exhibit Space Registration
Schedule | Education | Hotel and Travel

*The distributor showcase is for CDA member distributors only. Participation is required.
By attending Marketplace 2027, you agree to the CDA Notices & Disclaimers.

CDA expresses its thanks to all the distributors and suppliers that participated in last week's Convenience Distribution Business Exchange (CDBX), held Sept. 14-17, 2026, in Aventura, FL, where over 1,500 individual meetings between trading partners took place. Save the date for next year's CDBX, being held Sept. 13-16, 2027, at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel in Fort Worth, TX.

Enjoy a short video recap of our time at the event last week. For details on how your company can be a part of CDBX, contact Jenn Finn at jennf@cdaweb.net or (703) 208-1649.

The Senate Agriculture Committee met on Sept. 16, 2026, to pass the “Farm Bill 2.0” out of committee by a vote of 12-11 along party lines. Despite Democratic opposition, the bill was able to move forward once Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) returned to the panel this week. The business meeting comes after the committee failed to advance the legislative package in a 10-11 vote in August, with all Democrats opposing it. The House passed its version of the farm bill at the end of April. Read more here.

On Sept. 16, 2026, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a full committee markup of 16 bills to enhance American technological development and strengthen communications networks. Those bills included the Packaging and Claims Knowledge (PACK) Act of 2025 - H.R. 6832, the Recycled Materials Attribution Act - H.R. 7502, and the Nitrous Oxide Safety Act of 2026 - H.R. 7945. All 16 bills were approved and reported to the full House. Read more here.

On Sept. 16, 2026, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to consider the nominations of Chris Klomp to be Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and Nicole Saphier to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and Surgeon General of the Public Health Service. Saphier reported investments in companies including McDonald's Corp. and tobacco company Philip Morris International Inc., and plans to divest from those holdings if she is confirmed, according to her ethics agreement. Several senators questioned Saphier about her stance on smoking and vaping following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to approve several flavored e-cigarette products in May. Saphier said she sees value in flavored vapes as a potential off-ramp for adult smokers, but understands concerns about access for children. Saphier said she opposes smoking broadly and as a physician she doesn’t “want anyone smoking anything.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a rule on Feb. 13, 2026, restricting non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses primarily to H-2A, H-2B and E-2 visa holders. The rule is being challenged by CDL drivers together with AFSCME and the American Federation of Teachers. At oral arguments on Sept. 15, 2026, they argued that FMCSA lacked evidence for excluding other legally present drivers and that its visa exceptions and concerns about state processing were irrational; FMCSA argued that the rule addresses unavailable foreign driving records and licensing errors. The D.C. Circuit will determine whether to uphold, invalidate or return the rule to FMCSA, but it has not announced a decision date. Read more here.

During the 38th annual National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, CDA proudly recognizes the dedicated drivers behind the wheel, and behind every delivery that keeps our industry moving forward.

CDA is also celebrating the future of the profession by supporting the industry’s next generation of drivers through CDA’s The Drive to Thrive: CDL Scholarship Program. This initiative provides employees of CDA distributor member companies with up to $5,000 towards CDL training, helping them grow their careers and become commercial truck drivers.

Nominations will open again in 2027 – start thinking now about the employees who could fuel your company’s future. Click here to learn more about the scholarship and view the 2026 winners to see the impact of this program in action.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Bret Koplow, an attorney and career FDA official, will become director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products (CTPP). Koplow has been serving as the acting director of the Center for Tobacco Products.

Last week, Richard Owen, CDA president and CEO, visited members across Texas in is his continued effort to build relationships, learn about issues affecting the industry and discuss future trends and opportunities.

The trip began at Texas Wholesale in Dallas, TX, where Owen met with leadership and discussed a variety of topics. At Core-Mark International, Inc.'s headquarters in Westlake, TX, Owen was treated to a tour of the company's Center of Excellence, a state-of-the-art collaboration space for retailers to combine forward-thinking consumer trends with empirical data to improve their businesses.

Owen's next stop was at Grocery Supply Company's Fall Show Foodservice Showcase in Allen, TX, where he met with the leadership team and walked the show floor. He then traveled to McLane Company, Inc. in Temple, TX, where he toured the company's Southwest Distribution Center and met with the McLane team to discuss future trends impacting convenience and how CDA can provide value.

Thank you to our CDA member companies for your hospitality and support. Your engagement and feedback help us strengthen our programs and events while creating new opportunities that deliver value and meet the evolving needs of our members.

At Core-Mark International, Inc.'s Center of Excellence are (l-r) Richard Owen, CDA; and Jaime McLean, Bill Stein and Jeremiah Fralic, Core-Mark.	At Grocery Supply Company's (GSC) Fall Show Foodservice Showcase are (l-r) John Prickette and Ryan McKenzie, GSC; Owen, CDA; and Teresa Reynolds, Mikey McKenzie and Robert Cody, GSC.
Left to right are Pureza Guevara and Farooq Wazirali, Texas Wholesale; Owen, CDA; and Kavish Wazirali and Laila Ali, Texas Wholesale.	At McLane Company, Inc.'s headquarters are Owen, CDA; and Cassandra Matos, McLane.

Loews Arlington Hotel
Arlington, TX
February 22-24, 2027

Exhibit space is selling fast. Register online today!

Register now to increase your opportunity of being assigned a preferred booth location through the CDA priority point system. The CDA priority point system expires July 31. Exhibit space is assigned on a first-come first-served basis after July 31.

Marketplace brings together distributors with their top trading partners and suppliers over a three-day period, featuring:

• a one-day turnkey trade show
• focused education sessions
• distributor showcase
• and networking opportunities

Attendee registration opens September 14.

By exhibiting at Marketplace 2027, you agree to the CDA Notices & Disclaimers and Exhibitor Terms & Conditions.

On Sept. 1, 2026, President Trump announced the selection of Darrell Scott to be the tobacco health adviser for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Scott is a pastor and advocate for “America’s Underserved Communities.” Read more here.

On Sept. 2, 2026, Altria Group, Inc. and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a Texas federal district court seeking to set aside the agency’s current system of reviewing pre-market tobacco applications and require the agency to develop a new system.

The lawsuit was filed due to continued delays in the FDA reviewing and finalizing actions on pending pre-market tobacco applications, which has been one factor in the growth of an illicit market in non-authorized tobacco products. Read more here.

CDA is pleased to announce the addition of Emily Smith to its staff in the newly created position of manager, sales and member engagement. Emily brings more than eight years of experience in association management, strategic partnerships, member engagement, sponsorships, advertising and events. She has built and managed corporate relationships, supported non-dues revenue growth and worked across teams to strengthen engagement and deliver value. Emily is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.

Emily will lead efforts to grow and deepen CDA’s relationships with members, prospective members, sponsors, and industry partners. Her role includes driving membership growth and retention, expanding sponsorship and advertising opportunities, supporting event participation and revenue, and identifying new ways for members and partners to engage with CDA. She will also work closely with the team to strengthen outreach, track engagement and sales opportunities, and ensure CDA continues to deliver meaningful value to its members and partners.

CDA also welcomes J.P. Dowd, vice president at Van Scoyoc Associates, as CDA policy advisor, taking over for Kathee Facciano, who recently left the organization. J.P. began his career working as a military legislative assistant for Senator Leahy and rose through the ranks to become projects director, legislative director, and ultimately chief of staff for the last 10 years. J.P. then joined Van Scoyoc Associates as vice president in 2023. Originally from Washington, DC, J.P. received his B.A. from the University of Vermont and his M.B.A. from Georgetown University.

J.P. will help lead CDA’s government affairs and advocacy efforts, representing the interests of convenience distributors on key legislative and regulatory issues at the federal level. He will work closely with CDA leadership, members, and industry partners to help shape policy priorities, monitor emerging issues, and strengthen relationships with policymakers and other stakeholders. J.P. will also serve as a key liaison to CDA’s Government Affairs Committee and support member advocacy and engagement through programs including Day on the Hill and the State Association Executives Summit.

On Aug. 28, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the marketing of three new e-cigarette products through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway. The authorized products are part of the JUUL2 e-cigarette system made by JUUL Labs Inc. and include a tobacco-flavored pod, a menthol-flavored pod, and the JUUL2 device. Read more here.

On Aug. 31, 2026, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean P. Duffy, joined by federal officials and Angel Families, announced an interagency effort to crack down on fraud and reduce highway fatalities in the trucking industry. The coalition created a Joint Task Force Crossroads of America – a multi-state partnership to secure our highways and strengthen border security. Read more here.

On Sept. 1, 2026, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a markup of 12 bills to strengthen American competitiveness and enhance consumer protections. One of the bills considered, the Nitrous Oxide Safety Act (H.R. 7945), introduced by Reps. Kevin Mullin (D-CA) and Stephanie Bice (R-OK), directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to classify retail nitrous oxide products as banned hazardous goods. The Subcommittee advanced all 12 bills to the full Energy and Commerce Committee by voice vote. Read more here.

On Sept. 1, 2026, the House passed a short-term funding bill by a vote of 370-48 to keep the federal government operating through Dec. 11, 2026, avoiding a shutdown before the midterm elections. The Senate approved the measure on Aug. 8, 2026, and the bill was signed by President Trump on Sept. 2, 2026. The bill delays most new federal restrictions on hemp-derived THC products from Nov. 12 to Dec. 11, 2026, and extends federal highway and transit programs through the same date. It does not include a broad Farm Bill extension, although it temporarily renews certain agriculture-related authorities. Congress must still reach a longer-term spending agreement after the elections or face another possible shutdown in December. Read more here.