Trump’s Firing of Consumer Product Safety Commissioners Puts Americans in Danger
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last night, the Trump administration fired the three Democratic commissioners at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC is responsible for ensuring the safety of over 15,000 different types of consumer products through conducting research and testing products, developing safety standards, data gathering, issuing recalls, and banning dangerous products, among other actions. These terminations follow reports that the Trump administration is working to shutter the CPSC entirely.
“The CPSC plays a vital role in protecting the safety of all consumers. For example, between 1973 and 2019, crib fatalities decreased by nearly 80%—thanks in part to the CPSC’s efforts. It is incomprehensible that the Trump administration would seek to shutter an agency responsible for ensuring the safety of so many consumer products, including toys, appliances, and sporting equipment, said Martha Perez-Pedemonti, Access to Justice and Consumer Rights Counsel at Public Citizen. “It is impossible to overstate how dangerous shutting down the CPSC would be for American consumers. People will be injured or die as a result.”