This has always been the case, just never fully executed and always half hearted with deference to “public health officials.” Even in his first administration, Trump had political and White House Policy staff trying to remove tobacco jurisdiction from the FDA. He derisively called the FDA the “Food Police” and I always wondered if that had something to do with the failure of Trump Steaks.
Covid 19 and choosing Scott Gotlieb and Marty Makary as the FDA commissioners really disrupted everything good that could have helped “save flavored vapes.” They both believed their own department’s propaganda about the “dangers,” which really were lost user fees paid to FDA departments by tobacco and pharma, not saving the children. Biden was just a puppet for any and all left wing interest groups which feed off the big tobacco and pharma money.