Letter to House Requesting Adequate Funding for the CPSC
By Product Safety Coalition
*American Academy of Pediatrics * Consumer Federation of America * Consumer Reports * Kids In Danger * U.S. Public Interest Research Group *
June 21, 2023
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy, Speaker
The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Speaker McCarthy and Leader Jeffries:
The undersigned consumer and medical organizations write to urge you to fund the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) at least at the requested level of $212.6 million for fiscal year 2024. We also strongly urge you to protect the agency’s vital work from damaging appropriations riders and other limitations that would unduly restrict the ability of the CPSC to protect the public from hazardous consumer products, as it has been directed to do by Congress.
Established in 1972, the CPSC is an independent agency charged with a critical mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of illness, injury, or death associated with over 15,000 different types of consumer products. Any efforts to limit the CPSC in investigating or issuing sensible standards for a product category run directly counter to this aim. In addition, such an action by Congress would set a harmful precedent that could prevent the CPSC from protecting consumers in the future.
The agency should retain its current authorities, at a minimum, and be able to use them readily as warranted by the health and safety evidence. We oppose any effort that would undermine the CPSC’s ability to set data-driven and science-based rules to protect the public. Consumers depend on the CPSC to protect them from unsafe products, especially as the consumer product marketplace rapidly changes. If the CPSC is not adequately supported by Congress, people will suffer and be left at risk from both longstanding hazards and newly emerging ones.
We look forward to working with you to ensure that the CPSC is fully empowered to keep the public safe from hazardous products and protect consumers from product-related deaths and injuries, many of which can be prevented.
Sincerely,
American Academy of Pediatrics
Consumer Reports
Consumer Federation of America
Kids In Danger
U.S. Public Interest Research Group
cc: The Honorable Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Chair, and The Honorable Frank Pallone, Ranking
Member of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce