Consumer Product Safety Commission

Consumer Groups Applaud Infusion of Funding for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in COVID-19 Relief Budget Reconciliation Legislation

COVID-19 Pandemic Underscores Need for CPSC to have Increased Funds to Protect Consumers

 |  Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Consumer Federation of America, Kids In Danger, and Public Citizen strongly support the inclusion of additional funding for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s COVID-19 Relief Budget Reconciliation Legislation. The language provides an additional $50 million for the CPSC to address COVID-19-related product safety issues including surveillance, monitoring, awareness, communications, and data collection efforts particularly related to vulnerable populations.

“The CPSC needs this infusion of funding to protect consumers. COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way consumers spend their time and the CPSC is the Agency at the forefront of protecting consumers from hazards posed by products in and around their homes,” stated Rachel Weintraub, Legislative Director and General Counsel with Consumer Federation of America. “This additional funding is absolutely critical for the CPSC to fulfill its mission. We strongly support this language and urge its inclusion in the final Budget Reconciliation legislation.”

“Kids In Danger (KID) applauds this effort to provide additional funding to the CPSC to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on children’s product safety.  From import surveillance to data collection, to conducing effective recalls and educating consumers, CPSC has a huge task with a small budget even outside of a pandemic,” stated Nancy Cowles, Executive Director of KID, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting children by fighting for product safety.  KID urges Congress to act on this vital funding.”

“The CPSC continues to punch above its weight as it works to protect consumers from product safety hazards,” said Remington A. Gregg, Counsel for Civil Justice and Consumer Rights at Public Citizen. “This additional money, however, is sorely needed and we hope is the start of increased funding for this small, but powerful agency.”

Together, our organizations have advocated for years to significantly increase the CPSC’s annual budget. The funding in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s COVID-19 Relief Budget Reconciliation legislation is essential to provide the CPSC funds it needs now to respond adequately to COVID-19. We will continue to engage in efforts to increase and build the CPSC’s budget significantly to protect consumers from hazards going forward.

Contact: Rachel Weintraub, 202-904-4953