Early in the Trump administration, I felt reassured. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, was continuing to regularly issue recalls for unsafe products, just like it has for decades.
Not so fast.
The Trump administration is now calling for the elimination of the agency – not slashing its budget, but doing away with it entirely.
It’s outrageous.
A draft budget proposal seeks to eliminate the CPSC, and it’s opposed by the Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, and the National Consumers League, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, and Senator Richard Blumenthal.
Also opposed are Brett Horn of Charlie’s House and Linda Kaiser of Parents for Window Blind Safety. Their children were killed from consumer product-related injuries.
“The Trump Administration’s proposal to gut the capability and independence of the CSPC is not only illegal; it is extremely dangerous and will directly lead to the kind of deaths and injuries that this critical agency has helped prevent,” Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, member of the House Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee, said in a statement. “Since its inception, this small but mighty agency has successfully safeguarded American families, and in particular infants, children, and older Americans from dangerous products and helped ensure Americans know the products they buy are safe.”
“As someone who has dedicated over 20 years to advocating for product safety across the globe, I can confidently say that the CPSC has the most robust data collection system in the world,” said Linda Kaiser, founder of Parents for Window Blind Safety.
The CPSC uses field agents to gather firsthand evidence, ensuring accurate and thorough investigations, Kaiser said.
“Merging this independent agency into HHS under proposed budget cuts would not only jeopardize American families’ safety but could also unleash a tidal wave of safety failures that endangers lives and erodes trust in global safety standards,” she said.
Courtney Griffin, director of consumer product safety at Consumer Federation of America, said the CPSC has saved countless lives by making sure the products in our homes, in our children’s hands, and on store shelves are safe.
“Dismantling it would leave American families and children vulnerable, and it will strip away decades of progress in protecting the public from preventable harm,” Griffin said. “The consequences will be measured in preventable injuries, hospitalizations, and lives lost.”
Gabe Knight, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports, said the CPSC has been an independent, bipartisan, and cost-effective consumer safety watchdog for over 50 years.
“It has the experience and expert staff to protect the public, and importantly, it was specifically charged by Congress with the mission of protecting the public against unreasonable risks of injury or death from consumer products,” Knight said. “Consumer Reports strongly urges Congress to protect the CPSC, and we welcome all consumers to join us in telling their representatives that this terrible idea floated by the White House must be abandoned right away.”
Don’t do it, Republicans and Trump administration. People will have more injuries and die, including kids.
