Latest news with #ConsumerProductSafetyCommission
The Hill
an hour ago
- Business
- The Hill
Don't make me the last chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
In what may be the first for an independent federal agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission submitted a budget request to Congress last month proposing its own elimination. The Trump administration seeks to absorb elements of the commission into the Department of Health and Human Services in order to eliminate the agency's independence and reduce the transparency of its operations. The budget request also seeks to decrease the number of employees by 75 (to a total of 459) and reduce its budget by $16 million. If this budget request becomes law, I would likely be the last confirmed chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It would mark the end of the commission as an independent agency dedicated to protecting the public from unsafe consumer products, and it would reverse 53 years of progress in product safety. This budget request would never have existed if Trump had not unlawfully removed three sitting commissioners, including myself, last month. U.S. District Court Judge Maddox found the president's actions unlawful on June 13, enabling us to resume our jobs as commissioners. However, the Trump administration has appealed this ruling and continues to seek our removal. President Richard Nixon signed the Consumer Product Safety Act into law in 1972, establishing CPSC as a bipartisan, independent agency led by five commissioners who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Prior to that, the Department of Commerce and the Food and Drug Administration had responsibility for product safety, but their efforts lacked focus — as a result, Americans suffered. In the lead up to the creation of the CPSC, President Lyndon Johnson recognized that 'the homes that we live in can be more dangerous than a booby-trapped mine field' and that change was needed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission was created to clear this mine field. In establishing the agency, Congress recognized that its independence was important to ensure that it remained unfettered by political dictates and self-interested pressure from industry. Congress mandated that no more than three commissioners can belong to the same political party; that they are to be appointed to staggered terms, to ensure only a portion of their terms expire at any given time; and that they can only be removed for cause. These legal provisions were designed to prevent swift, drastic changes in the agency's composition and, ultimately, its regulations and policies. The commission's current structure promotes stability and continuity, which benefits consumers as well as manufacturers and sellers. In the months leading up to our removal, my colleagues and I opposed staff reductions to meet arbitrary White House demands. We advanced proposed mandatory product safety standards to save lives — including from horrific fires ignited by faulty lithium-ion batteries. We rejected efforts to dismantle and embed CPSC into the Department of Health and Human Services. Within weeks of our unlawful terminations, the remaining commissioners withdrew the proposed lithium-ion battery safety rule and embraced the administration's efforts to abolish the agency's independence and downsize our staff. The consequences of our absence were plain as the administration moved forward to eliminate the agency and weaken its functions. The changes proposed by the Trump administration are wholly unnecessary. For over 50 years, the commission has validated the vision of Nixon and Congress for improving product safety. For example, crib fatalities have decreased by nearly 80 percent; pediatric poisonings have decreased by 80 percent; deaths from residential fires have decreased by more than 64 percent. There have been dramatic injury reductions as well. Bicycle injuries have declined by about 35 percent. Baby walker injuries, which resulted in 25,000 emergency room visits in 1992, had dropped by 88 percent by 2020. Because of the commission's safety rules, children no longer suffocate in refrigerators, get crushed by closing garage doors or get entrapped underwater in swimming pool drain covers. Safety standards ban lead in toys and ensure that products manufactured for infants and toddlers meet basic safety standards. The elimination of this agency and the incorporation of its parts into this administration's troubled HHS would put the agency's successes and future product safety progress at risk. As was recognized more than 50 years ago, product safety gets lost within a large department with competing priorities. It would be too easy to put recalls or new product safety standards on the back burner when HHS is faced with a revamp of the Medicare system and with millions losing access to health care. In addition, as resources become harder to find, product safety staff and money may be shifted to politically favored projects within HHS at the whim of the secretary. Without an independent Consumer Product Safety Commission, there will be far less accountability and transparency. When an agency is independent and commissioners come from multiple perspectives, undue political influence is moderated. The commissioners can work together to build consensus but also act as a check on each other. This ensures that the agency's actions are transparent to the public and the agency is not taking political direction to favor one company over another. That is why, once the full commission was reinstated, it submitted a new budget request that affirms the independence of the agency and seeks full funding of its operations. This, however, does not change the administration's proposal or the HHS budget request to eliminate it and absorb parts of it into HHS. The president's request threatens product safety. But, fortunately, eliminating the Consumer Product Safety Commission as it has existed for more than 50 years would require an act of Congress. There are Republican and Democratic members of Congress who recognize the importance of CPSC's work and its independence. I hope they can convince their colleagues to reject the president's proposal. I don't want to be the last confirmed chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And none of us want to go back to the days when the homes that we live in were 'more dangerous than a booby-trapped mine field.' Alexander Hoehn-Saric served as chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from October 2021 through January 2025 and is now serving as a commissioner.
Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Fireworks are out of control in L.A. Here are 5 things experts wish you knew
One thing I still can't get used to living in L.A. is the Bayhem-level of firepower Angelenos bring to bear on the Fourth of July. My neighbors have already started setting them off. By all accounts — and there are many — we are living in the illegal firework capital of the United States. That's not just because all fireworks are illegal in the City of Los Angeles, which the doctors, public safety officials and pollution experts I talked to about their dangers are at pains to point out. Many immigrant Angelenos come from cultures where DIY fireworks are common, and we're an easy drive from places where they're cheap and legal. With few exceptions, the penalty for setting off professional-grade pyrotechnics is small and difficult to enforce. Nationwide, the problem is much bigger now than it ever was. In 2024, almost 15,000 Americans were treated for firework-related injuries — a jump of more than 50% from the year prior, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In 2025 alone, Cal Fire and its partner agencies have confiscated more than 600,000 pounds of illegal fireworks. Still, the folks who most want you to stop buying M80s — city managers, ER doctors, Smokey the Bear — know their pleas fall on deaf ears. The quest to save fingers, lungs, palm trees and the state budget from fireworks was described to me as 'quixotic' and 'Sisyphean.' Even January's firestorm is unlikely to tame our passion for pyrotechnics, they said. At least one expert told me he thinks 2025 will be 'worse than it's ever been,' describing fireworks as a kind of Freudian pressure valve for communities on edge. Here are five things experts wish you knew about your cache of emotional-support explosives. 'We have among the worst air quality in the country on the night of July 4 into July 5,' Dr. Scott Epstein of the South Coast Air Quality Management District said. 'Over the past 15 years, we have seen an upward trend.' Remember those two dozen semitrucks worth of confiscated fireworks I mentioned earlier? Golden State taxpayers foot the bill to ship them to Ohio, Hawaii and Massachusetts to dispose of. 'Think about packaging up a couple thousand pounds of fireworks and sending them to Ohio — it's going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,' said Cmdr. David Barrett, head of MySafe:LA. Multiply that a couple hundred thousand times, you're looking at a budget black hole. 'The number one thing kids tell us is: 'We don't want fireworks, but our parents bought them,'' Barrett told me. 'The message doesn't need to be for kids, it needs to be for parents,' he said. 'Something like: 'How do you feel about your kid having four fingers?'' 'The things I've seen the most are loss of a finger or a hand, or severe damage to the eye,' said Dr. Jeremy Swisher, a sports medicine doctor in the orthopedics department at UCLA. 'Burns are the most common.' Many of those burns come from sparklers. 'When it's over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, holding it for a few seconds can cause a lot of damage,' the doctor explained. 'It can cause deeper burns into the skin, which can lead to the need for skin grafting, many surgeries and needing to stay in the hospital for a week or more.' 'If you look forward to the next three years, we have the World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the year after that we have the Olympics,' Barrett said. 'They're all summer events, so the potential for out-of-control fireworks is significant.' 'The last thing we need is for the Hollywood Hills to burn down because of fireworks.' Today's great photo is from Times contributor Yasara Gunawardena. This year's jacaranda bloom in L.A. was short a few trees following the January wildfires, but experts say many burned trees will recover. Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Setting off Fourth of July fireworks? Here's how to celebrate safely in PA, Bucks County
Summer is in full swing and with the Fourth of July right around the corner, the night skies across Bucks County will soon be illuminated with fireworks big and small. But if you're planning on celebrating at home, its important to know the law in Pennsylvania. The National Fire Protection Association reports that fireworks started 31,302 fires in 2022 and caused $109 million in property damage. In 2023, fireworks were also involved in 9,700 emergency room injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, with children younger than 15 accounting for nearly one third of fireworks injuries. Here's what you need to know about buying, handling and enjoying fireworks this year: Pennsylvanians can buy and use "Class C" or consumer-grade fireworks like firecrackers, Roman candles and bottle rockets that contain a maximum of 50 milligrams of explosive material, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. Larger "display fireworks" are only to be used by professionals with a municipal permit. Anyone over the age of 18 can purchase, possess and use consumer-grade fireworks in Pennsylvania. Consumer fireworks do not include ground and hand-held sparklers and other novelties which are not restricted. Consumer fireworks in Pennsylvania are sold by retailers in stand-alone, permanent structures licensed by the Department of Agriculture. They can also be purchased online but they must be delivered to a licensed, permanent structure. The Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner has provided a list of tips to help keep you and your friends and family safe this summer: Don't use fireworks while consuming alcohol, illegal drugs or medication that can cause impairment. Keep a bucket of water, hose or fire extinguisher nearby in case of an emergency. Keep fireworks away from young children. Sparklers are the No. 2 cause of fireworks-related visits to the ER, according to the Pennsylvania Office of State Fire Commissioner. Soak spent and unused fireworks in a bucket of water before throwing them away. Wear eye protection and don't handle fireworks directly once lit. Never light fireworks inside pr near other people or buildings. Only light one firework at a time. Don't handle or attempt to relight a failed firework. Wait 5-10 minutes and then place duds in a bucket of water. Lacey Latch is the development reporter for the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer. She can be reached at LLatch@ This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Are fireworks legal in PA? What to know before setting off fireworks
Fox News
2 days ago
- Fox News
Freak umbrella accident leaves lifeguard impaled in beach day horror
A beach day turned into a scene straight out of a horror movie for a lifeguard after she was impaled by an umbrella. The incident happened Wednesday morning at Asbury Park's 3rd Avenue Beach, where first responders were called to the Jersey Shore for reports a young woman was trapped by a beach umbrella. Fellow lifeguards found the young woman lying on the ground near the lifeguard stand with an umbrella stake through her left shoulder and sticking out the back of her arm by about a foot, Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy told Fox News Digital. Keddy said first responders cut the umbrella stake off to make it easier to transport the victim to a hospital. Paramedics transported the victim, who was alert and conscious the entire time, to a local hospital, Keddy said. "I will say tough is a good word to use to describe her," Keddy said. While her condition was unknown, Keddy said she seemed to be doing OK when she was taken to the hospital. It was not known what caused the umbrella to impale the lifeguard, but Keddy recommended making sure umbrella stakes are securely placed in the sand. According to a 2024 report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, airborne beach umbrella incidents have become "too common" in recent years. The commission stated that beach umbrellas that have been sent airborne by wind gusts have "killed people and caused many serious injuries." The commission also shared tips for consumers to protect themselves, like always making sure umbrellas are anchored properly and to be alert for high wind gusts. Fox News Digital reached out to the Asbury Park Beach office for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
New York Times
18-06-2025
- New York Times
California Executives Sentenced for Continuing to Sell Dehumidifiers That Caught on Fire
Two executives from Southern California were sentenced this week to more than three years in prison each for failing to report defects in dehumidifiers, which were later linked to hundreds of fires and possibly four deaths, according to federal prosecutors and recall documents. Simon Chu, 70, of Pomona, Calif., and Charley Loh, 67, of Arcadia, Calif., continued selling the dehumidifiers for at least six months after tests revealed a defect that caused them to catch on fire, according to prosecutors with the Justice Department. The devices were sold nationwide through major retailers, including Home Depot, Lowe's, Sam's Club, Sears, Walmart and others, between 2011 and 2014, at prices ranging from $110 to $400, according to federal prosecutors. A federal judge sentenced Mr. Chu to 38 months in federal prison and imposed a $5,000 fine. Mr. Loh received a 40-month sentence and a $12,000 fine. 'Corporate executives who choose to ignore the law will be held accountable — especially when death and serious injuries result,' Bill Essayli, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement. Both men were convicted by a Los Angeles jury in November 2023 of failing to report the defects to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and of conspiracy to defraud the United States by obstructing the safety commission, according to court records. They were found not guilty of a third charge of committing wire fraud. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
