Washington D.C. – Late on Thursday, October 7, 2021, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Alexander Hoehn-Saric as Chair and Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Alex brings extensive experience to the role, serving most recently as Chief Counsel for the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and previously as Senior Counsel to the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, among numerous other roles at the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Commerce.
“Senate confirmation of Alex Hoehn-Saric as the next Chair of the CPSC is good for consumers. We look forward to working with Chair Hoehn-Saric to ensure that the CPSC upholds its responsibility to protect consumers from the hazards posed by unsafe products,” stated Rachel Weintraub, Legislative Director and General Counsel at Consumer Federation of America.
The CPSC has been led by Acting Chairman Adler since 2017. Until August of 2021, the Commission operated without a majority. Since August, the Commission has had a Republican majority. This confirmation again creates a 2-2 tie at the Commission. “We are grateful for Acting Chair Adler’s leadership of the Commission especially given the challenging period of the COVID -19 pandemic,” stated Weintraub. “The Commission has conducted critically important recalls and has issued important research about product safety during the pandemic.”
President Biden has nominated Mary Boyle and Richard Trumka as Commissioners to the CPSC. “We urge the Senate to quickly confirm these nominees to ensure that the agency is at full capacity to address the product safety hazards facing American consumers,” stated Weintraub.
Contact: Rachel Weintraub, 202-904-4953