With Reed and others, Tuomey successfully blocked any serious inquiry into the dairies and stymied calls for reform. For the rest of his career, he was caricatured as "Swill Milk" Tuomey.
Tuomey, along with Reed, effectively blocked any in-depth inquiries into the dairy industry and silenced calls for reform. He became known as "Swill Milk" Tuomey for the rest of his professional life.