NCL applauds FDA approval of Journavx for acute pain relief, advancing non-opioid alternatives 

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communication, 202-207-2829

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approving Journavx, a pioneering non-opioid analgesic for treating moderate to severe acute pain in adults. This approval introduces a promising alternative to opioids in pain management, addressing the urgent need for safer treatments amid the ongoing opioid crisis.

According to the CDC there were an estimated 75,091 opioid overdose deaths in 2024. As the first drug in a new class of non-opioid analgesics, Journavx offers a critical option for patients needing pain relief without the risks associated with opioids.  This groundbreaking alternative works by targeting sodium channels in the peripheral nervous system, reducing pain signals before they reach the brain.

“The approval of Journavx is a significant step forward in providing consumers with safe, non-opioid alternatives for pain management,” said Sally Greenberg NCL CEO. “In the face of the opioid epidemic, the FDA’s decision gives us hope for a future where pain management can be effective and free of the risks that have harmed so many.”

The drug provides an important option for acute pain management, especially as the healthcare community looks for ways to reduce opioid dependency. To learn more about additional non-opioid alternatives listen to NCL’s We Can Do This! podcast episode, where we explore the future of pain management here.

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

NCL blasts the purge of the nation’s auto safety regulator

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communication, 202-207-2829  

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) opposes the Trump Administration’s firing of public servants working at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the nation’s principal automobile safety regulator.  According to reports, the Trump Administration fired hundreds of people at the Department of Transportation, including employees at NHTSA.

“NHTSA cannot oversee and promote automotive safety without world-class staff, many of whom have served behind the scenes for decades doing the day to day work of making the cars safer and making the agency run,” said Daniel Greene, Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety.  “Yet, in their reckless attempt to dismantle the core functions of the federal government, the Trump Administration is purging the dedicated public servants working tirelessly to eliminate the approximately 40,000 deaths and 5 million injuries suffered in traffic crashes every year.  Ultimately, the American people will feel the effects of this unconscionable action through more unnecessary crashes.  That means more death, more injuries, more broken families, and more shattered communities.”

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Nancy Glick

Preventing foodborne illness is worth the investment

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By Nancy Glick, Director of Food and Nutrition Policy

“We’re not going back” is a rallying cry not usually associated with food safety policy. But if the Trump Administration heeds the call from the trade association for the processed meat industry to withdraw a needed proposed food safety rule, Americans will indeed go back to facing preventable foodborne illness outbreaks. 

The rule in question – to allow USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to establish standards that will keep Salmonella contaminated chicken carcasses and poultry parts from entering the market – comes at a time when Salmonella infections are on the rise in the U.S.  According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Salmonella bacteria cause over 1 million human infections in the United States each year, putting more Americans at risk for serious illness, including fever, bloody diarrhea, and sometimes life-threatening complications. Moreover, CDC estimates that foodborne Salmonella causes 29 illnesses for each case that is detected – meaning significantly more people are getting sick than records show.  

The National Consumers League (NCL), as part of the Safe Food Coalition, praised FSIS for issuing the proposed rule in January 2025, as did many public health and medical societies. Why? One reason is because chicken is a major source of illness from Salmonella, causing an estimated 195,634 illnesses each year at a cost of $2.8 billion annually, according to Consumer Reports. In fact, CDC estimates that about one in every 25 packages of chicken at the grocery story are contaminated with Salmonella.  

The other reason is the good news. Today, advances in technology make it possible for inspectors to rapidly detect and mitigate Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens throughout the poultry supply chain. Thus, the FSIS rule is predicated on new technologies for early detection of foodborne bacteria.  

But, the Meat Institute, speaking for the $227.9 billion meat and poultry processing industry, has asked the Trump Administration to withdraw the rule as a way to reduce “burdensome” regulations. The group says the new FSIS rule, which was three years in the making, will “add cost to the production and supply of food, exacerbating food price inflation to the detriment of consumers.”  

However, NCL actually speaks for consumers, and we challenge this position. Polls show that Americans favor stronger food safety oversight. In a 2022 survey, 74 percent said it would be worth a 1 to 3 percent increase in the cost of food to pay for added safety measures.  

Moreover, Americans recognize that foodborne illness has widespread consequences, both in terms of people’s lives and costs to society. Starting with the human toll, CDC estimates that 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 people die each year from foodborne diseases. In terms of the cost to the economy, a study by researchers from USDA’s Economic Research Service puts the cost to the economy at $75 billion (in 2023 dollars) annually, which includes medical care, lost productivity, and premature deaths, including those associated with secondary chronic illnesses.   

For all these reasons, Americans are not willing to give up food safety protections for the possibility of saving a few pennies when buying poultry products. Instead, consumers – along with public health officials and infectious disease specialists – are calling on the Trump Administration to finalize enforceable safety standards for poultry products as part of the new “Make America Healthy Again” initiative because the FSIS rule will result in safer food and fewer illnesses.  

NCL statement on mass firings of probationary federal employees 

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) is alarmed by the recent mass firings of probationary federal employees in the name of “government efficiency and cutting waste.” These dedicated public servants – unsung heroes – provide essential services that consumers rely on. Their dismissal threatens the well-being of millions of Americans.

“It’s easy to break things. It’s much harder to fix them. The purge of employees for political reasons will cripple the government’s ability to provide critically needed services,” said NCL CEO Sally Greenberg, “Firing public servants for political reasons also threatens critical services, like running clinical trials for drugs that fight disease, defending our national security, assistance to communities after hurricanes, fires, and floods, and responding to the next pandemic.”

These purges could mean that federal agencies will cease to function – then what?  Who will send the checks to veterans and older Americans who are getting social security checks, pay for highway repairs, and send checks to farmers who’ve been promised support for conservation and other purposes? Who will fix the pressing challenges our country faces every day?

NCL has long worked on protecting public health, preventing fraud, standing up for workplace safety, ensuring fair wages, providing access to social security benefits, and ensuring safe food and medications for us all.  The termination of federal workers undermines the very systems Americans depend on for core services and to protect our future. NCL urges the Trump administration to reconsider these reckless acts and prioritize the stability and integrity of our federal workforce and government services.

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)   

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org. 

 

NCL expresses concern over the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communication, 202-207-2829  

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL), a long-time advocate for consumer health and safety, is disappointed with the Senate’s confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NCL has consistently supported science, evidence-based medicine, and public health and believes this appointment poses a significant risk to Americans’ health and well-being. Kennedy, who holds a law degree and has no medical training, is uniquely unqualified for this role.  

 “NCL stands firmly on the side of science and evidence-based medicine. We support policies that prioritize public health, protect consumers, and ensure the safety and efficacy of medical practices and treatments,” said NCL CEO Sally Greenberg. “With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation, we are concerned that HHS leadership will be compromised by someone who has repeatedly ignored science and factual evidence in favor of misinformation.”   

 The Secretary of Health and Human Services must lead with facts, scientific data, and a commitment to public well-being.  By appointing Kennedy, who has a history of spreading baseless claims and promoting harmful misinformation, the confirmation undermines trust in the very healthcare system that is intended to protect the American public.   

“Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a twin danger to the nation’s health. Not only is he not a medical provider, but he promotes unproven alternative therapies with no scientific evidence of therapeutic benefits, which in turn could harm consumers,” said Greenberg.

The FDA currently mandates rigorous clinical trials before approving drugs as cures or designated for treating specific medical conditions. The FDA does not regulate supplements, a significant part of the wellness market; however, it oversees false health claims and products that pose health risks to consumers. NCL urges the medical establishment to closely monitor any unsafe products or therapies he may endorse.

NCL previously collaborated with HHS, the FDA, CDC, and NIH during the first Trump Administration and hopes to build on that foundation. For the sake of public health, we will hold him accountable for his promise to the Senate to support vaccines, medical research, clinical trials, and pharmaceutical advancements that have made HHS the gold standard for healthcare around the world.   

We also appreciate the thought behind Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again,” initiative which plans to address obesity and chronic diseases, promotes healthier food choices, prioritizes fresh, whole foods over processed options, and seeks to eliminate potential conflicts of interest in public health policies.    

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)    

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.  

House budget resolution bad for consumers and America

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Budget blueprint would slash Medicaid and eliminate vital manufacturing and green energy policies

Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829

Washington, DC – Today, House Republicans released a budget resolution, which guides federal spending and revenue policies and initiates the reconciliation process.  The resolution calls for at least $1.5 trillion in spending reductions and $4.5 trillion in tax cuts.  The accompanying “budget blueprint” lays out a series of proposals that would eliminate core manufacturing and clean energy policies established in the Inflation Reduction Act and severely weaken Medicaid, which provides health insurance for nearly 72 million Americans.

“So much for America first,” said Sally Greenberg, CEO of the National Consumers League. “The House Republican’s budget resolution puts everyday Americans last and corporate interests first.  No matter where you live—in a red state or blue state—this budget will hurt consumers. The proposed draconian cuts to Medicaid could deprive millions of hardworking Americans of access to affordable, quality healthcare.  Eliminating vital manufacturing and clean energy policies will harm our nation’s competitiveness, workforce, environment, and health. All of this for the sake of tax breaks for ultra-wealthy corporations that merely pocket the taxes and ship jobs overseas anyway. This is bad for consumers and bad for America.”

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization.  Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad.  For more information, visit nclnet.org.

NCL strongly supports the FTC noncompete rule 

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829

Washington, DC – The National Consumer League (NCL) reiterates its strong support for the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) noncompete rule. This week, the AHA and Federation of American Hospitals filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit urging the court to vacate the Federal Trade Commission’s noncompete rule nationwide. NCL disagrees with this effort to do away with this crucial regulation, ensuring that workers, regardless of industry, are free to pursue better opportunities without being held back by restrictive clauses that unfairly limit their mobility.

The rule reflects a fundamental principle: workers should have the freedom to advance their careers, whether they’re in healthcare, fast food, or any other field. Allowing employees to switch employers for better pay and working conditions without facing penalties or legal roadblocks is a matter of fairness.

“The rule aligns with the values of fairness and competition that benefit workers and consumers alike,” said NCL CEO Sally Greenberg. “It’s time to ensure that the workforce is empowered to thrive, and we urge the 5th Circuit to uphold the FTC’s authority in protecting workers from exploitative practices.”

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

The DEIA dilemma: What would Abraham Lincoln say

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL CEO

One of the dates seared into my memory from a young age is February 12 —President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. We’ve had some truly heroic presidents, but it’s hard to compare any to the towering figure of Abraham Lincoln.

One of my favorite Lincoln quotes is this: “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended on to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”

As we enter the age of the second Donald Trump presidency, I’m reminded of Lincoln’s wisdom, wit, and kindness—qualities sorely lacking in the current occupant of the Oval Office. And unlike Lincoln, the truth too often eludes Mr. Trump.

This brings me to what the Trump administration is currently doing to try to erase diversity in America. They are waging war on DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility), forcing federal agencies to wipe any reference of DEIA from their websites. In the process, they insult and demean millions of Americans and undermine the remarkable diversity that defines our beautiful democracy.

During his famous Gettysburg Address, Lincoln called upon Americans to “bind up the nation’s wounds.”  The Trump administration could have heeded that advice and worked to represent all people after the very polarizing election Instead, their attacks on diversity deepen our divides.

Misconceptions about DEIA abound. DEIA initiatives—like implementing accessibility measures for people with disabilities, addressing gender pay inequity, and diversifying recruitment outreach—exist to correct discriminatory organizational practices. As Erica Foldy, a professor at NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, explains, DEIA efforts don’t discriminate; they put employers “on the path of creating more merit-based companies, more merit-based firms,” aiming to ensure that qualified people of all backgrounds have an “equal chance of being hired; you’re going to be paid the same as employees at comparable levels.”

Research from management consulting firm McKinsey & Company found that companies with more diversity financially and socially outperform those that are less diverse.

“The most successful companies understand that DEI isn’t just a ‘”nice-to-have,'” said Christie Smith, the former vice president for inclusion and diversity at Apple. “It’s a driver of innovation, talent attraction, and competitive advantage.”

I was among the many in my generation who marched on Washington for civil rights, women’s rights, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. We wrote letters, met with members of Congress, and donated to causes that helped make America great—by making it more inclusive.

The fight didn’t start here. Long before I became head of this organization, the women who founded NCL were championing the rights of children, women, minorities, and immigrants. Florence Kelley, NCL’s first general secretary, was a founding member and signed the original charter forming the NAACP in 1909. She refused to stay in hotels that barred Black guests and was an outspoken advocate for federal anti-lynching laws—a law that wasn’t passed until 2022!  Her protégé, Frances Perkins, went on to serve as Secretary of Labor under FDR and, in one of her first acts, desegregated the cafeteria at the Department of Labor.

So championing DEIA – even if they didn’t call it that – has always been in NCL’s DNA. And so many Americans before us waged brave and bruising battles to secure these rights.  Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated bus, and her protest sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, paving the way for the 1964 Civil Rights Act, signed by President Lyndon Johnson, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, religion, and national origin.

Japanese Americans, many of them U.S. citizens who were born in the U.S., were unjustly imprisoned after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. They finally received reparations 47 years later through an act of Congress.

Jewish Americans formed the Anti-Defamation League in 1913 after Leo Frank, a Jew, was falsely accused of murder and lynched by a mob in Georgia.

Throughout the 20th century, gay and lesbian Americans were routinely harassed, arrested, fired from jobs, and discharged from the service until they’d had enough and fought back against yet another police raid. The Stonewall Riot in 1969 at a gay bar in New York City changed history – and many marches later and the formation of gay rights groups like the Human Rights Campaign secured myriad reforms and protections for the LGBTQ+ community.

President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, ensuring basic accessibility measures we take for granted today. So, when you see curb cuts and wheelchair-accessible restrooms, we can thank President Bush and the movement behind the ADA.

I began my career with the Anti-Defamation League in the 1980s, lobbying for hate crimes legislation when it was a novel concept.  At first it was a hard sell, but today, every state has hate crime laws. If you paint a swastika on a synagogue or burn a cross on a lawn, that’s not just vandalism—it’s a hate crime because we recognize that targeted violence against certain groups (all DEIA Americans) is an attack on our democracy.  And. I’m pretty sure we aren’t repealing those hate crime laws!

I am saddened that so many Americans have fought and gained hard-won rights and protections that are now under attack. Memo to Trump and his allies: America’s embrace of difference and diversity makes us a beacon to the rest of the world.

Finally, Lincoln once said, “The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.”  So, though the Trump administration may try to erase our land of difference and diversity, good luck with that.

The far-right thinks they have a right to control what we say, think, read, and do, but Americans don’t take kindly to being told what to do.

Most of us have grown up in a country that is far more diverse and embracing of differences than the generations before us. Diversity, alas, is our superpower and our future. You can try to erase it or ban it, but the genie is out of the bottle—and no executive order or website purge will put it back in. One way or the other, it is here to stay.

And hallelujah for that.

NCL raises alarm over meat industry push to dismantle protections amid worker and environmental concerns 

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) is raising serious concerns over recent lobbying efforts by the Meat Institute, which is urging the Trump administration to roll back essential regulations designed to protect workers, the environment, and consumers in the meatpacking and factory farm industries. NCL’s concerns are heightened by disturbing reports of widespread hazardous child labor in the industry, including children working night shifts to clean factories with caustic chemicals.

In its letter to the White House, the Meat Institute is pushing for the elimination of critical protections such as the Clean Water Act, food safety regulations, and farmworker protections under the Packers and Stockyards Act. NCL is opposed to these efforts, warning that weakening these protections will lead to further exploitation of workers and unsafe food production practices.

“The history of the meat industry is a stark reminder of why these protections exist,” said NCL CEO Sally Greenberg. “The horrifying conditions Upton Sinclair exposed in The Jungle led to critical reforms such as the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906—laws that NCL championed that continue to safeguard public health and ensure the safety of our food supply. We cannot afford to go backward.”

The emergence of widespread child labor in the meatpacking industry, with children working in hazardous conditions, echoes the dark past that led to these crucial regulations. The Meat Institute’s push to dismantle regulations on food safety, water pollution, and worker protections will not only harm workers, but also put consumers at risk. Without these safeguards, the public could face unsafe food products, environmental damage, and the continued exploitation of vulnerable workers.

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Consumer groups file comments supporting DOT delay compensation rules 

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Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207,2829

Washington, DC – Yesterday, the National Consumers League (NCL) and four other public interest organizations filed comments with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) urging the Department to implement passenger protections in the event of significant flight delays and cancellations. Under federal law enacted last year, DOT must act on the issue by May 16.

NCL, the American Economic Liberties Project, Consumer Action, the Consumer Federation of America, and Travelers United called for:

  • Automatic cash compensation to consumers affected by flight disruptions that could have been prevented by the carrier
  • Food, drink, and lodging during disruptions
  • Maximum customer service wait times of 10 minutes
  • Rebooking on the next available flight
  • Prompt notice to disrupted travelers of their legal rights

The full comments can be found here.

Further reading:

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About the National Consumers League (NCL) 

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.