Advocates Demand White House Keep Its ‘Hands Off’ Consumer Product Safety Commission

by Mia Palazzo CTNewsJunkie

US Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined fired Consumer Product Safety Commission members, fellow lawmakers, and consumer advocates Wednesday outside at the US Capitol to denounce what they described as the Trump administration’s unlawful and politically motivated dismantling of the independent federal safety agency.

The news conference, held outside at the US Capitol, followed the sudden removal of three Democratic-appointed commissioners at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Richard Trumka Jr., Mary Boyle, and Alexander Hoehn-Saric. All three had opposed efforts to weaken the agency’s authority and oversight.

“The reason these commissioners have been fired is pretty straightforward. They objected to dismantling the CPSC,” Blumenthal said. “These firings are totally political. You may think that’s an exaggeration, but it’s the straightforward, simple truth.”

Blumenthal emphasized the illegality and overreach of the administration’s decision.

“The Consumer Product Safety Commission exists under law, and the commissioners cannot be fired unless they commit malfeasance, for corruption, and there’s been no allegation that they dedicated this firing of three commissioners is simply to destroy the agency, and it violates the law,” Blumenthal said.

Hoehn-Saric, one of the ousted commissioners, said he would have preferred to spend the day conducting a scheduled priority hearing with public input.

“Instead, we’re here discussing the illegal firing of myself and my colleagues, the beleaguered state of the CPSC, and its potential dismantling,” Hoehn-Saric said.

“[President Donald J. Trump] has the right to fire people within the executive branch,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a news briefing Friday.

According to NPR.org, CPSC Acting Chairman Peter Feldman told the CPSC employees in an email that he was informed of the removal of the three commissioners by the White House.

“Both the Constitution and the Consumer Product Safety Act grant the President authority to remove members of CPSC. President Trump has exercised this authority, and he has done so lawfully,” Feldman wrote. “CPSC remains committed to our important safety mission: protecting American consumers from the unreasonable risk of injury associated with consumer products. The Commission will continue to carry out its duties with diligence and integrity.”

Hoehn-Saric said that without leadership, the agency lacks key positions and is unable to advance critical safety rules, such as those addressing lithium-ion batteries and water beads, small objects that can expand inside a child’s body and cause fatal blockages.

“These cuts, let me be clear, will harm the American people,” Hoehn-Saric said. “They’re going to result in more trips to the emergency room and ultimately more deaths.”

Trumka echoed these concerns, explaining how the CPSC’s work saved lives every day.

“We oversaw 330 recalls last year covering over 150 million products,” he said. “Any cuts to our agency would compromise safety in homes and schools across the country.”

US Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, underscored the bipartisan history of the CPSC and the consequences of political interference.

“We don’t want toddlers dying because an unstable piece of furniture falls on top of them … or kids ingesting toys with lead,” Klobuchar said, recalling the story of a child who died of lead poisoning after swallowing a charm from a shoe.

“We literally will be cutting off our ability to protect kids,” she added. “So I ask the administration to reverse this hurtful move. It’s legally wrong, and just plain short-sighted.”

US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat representing the state’s 25th District, called the firings “completely unlawful,” saying they threaten the independence that allows CPSC to challenge corporate negligence.

“These commissioners are on the front lines every single day making sure that needless deaths don’t happen,” she said.

Wasserman Schultz recounted the story of Abigail Taylor, a young girl whose intestines were severely injured by a pool drain. That tragedy led to landmark legislation requiring safer drain covers, rules enforced by the CPSC.

“Since 2007, we’ve had no confirmed suction drain deaths. That’s because of the CPSC,” she said.

Ashley Haugen, a parent advocate, was there with her daughter, Kipley, who was injured by water beads. Mrs. Haugen spoke through tears as she described her family’s ordeal.

“I’m not here to talk about politics. When you’re holding your child after a life-threatening injury, you’re not thinking about who’s in office,” she said.

Blumenthal vowed that the fight is not over.

“Just because the president says it’s legal doesn’t make it so,” he said. “The courts will make it perfectly clear when they reinstate these commissioners after their court fight.”

Boyle emphasized that “safety is not partisan.” As a longtime CPSC staffer turned commissioner before she was removed, she pledged to continue the legal fight.

“That has only changed since January, where safety has become a partisan issue, and that is not in the interest of the American people,” she said.

Blumenthal summed up the stakes: “Listen carefully. Talk to people whose lives have been saved, or families who have lost children. The CPSC has saved lives. And that’s not red or blue. That’s about the kids.”