Access to Congressional Leadership The deal must be passed through Congress and signed by the Tobacco Industry and the president in order to be enacted. But, as with the case of most complicated issues in Congress, most of the real debate goes on behind closed doors. FRONTLINE sources tell us that the deal has already been negotiated and the current loud debate is mostly horse trading. Ultimately, Congress has changed the way it treats this industry, who used to have unlimited access to Congress and has lately been shut out.