Entries by Lisa McDonald

As Financial Resilience Gap Widens For Gen Z, NCL Calls For Action

August 7, 2026 in /by

August 6, 2026: Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) is calling for the Trump administration to address a widening generational gap in consumer financial resilience, as highlighted by the July 2026 Financial Resilience Index (FRI).Consumers are struggling to keep up with the cost of groceries, medical bills, gas, and other household expenses. Gas prices have risen by an average of 81 cents per gallon compared to this time last year. Grocery prices have risen by 33% since 2019, the highest jump in over half a century, while over 100 million Americans are facing some form of medical debt. As a result, only 61% of Gen Zers reported feeling in control of their day-to-day finances, 28 points lower than their Baby Boomer counterparts.

The Medical Debt-idemic

August 6, 2026 in /by

August 6, 2026: As a kid, I would count down the days until I was an adult. I yearned for freedoms like staying up late and being able to drive. Nothing in my imagination rivaled the maturity, respect, and independence that the milestone promised. Now, as a college student, I realize that the flagship freedoms of adulthood are, in fact, not free.

National Consumers League, Consumer Groups Urge Senate to Vote No on CPSC Nominees 

July 29, 2026 in /by

July 29, 2026: Washington, DC – The National Consumers League, Consumer Federation of America, and 29 other stakeholders sent a letter to Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging Senators to oppose the confirmation of Brien Lorenze and Karen Sessions to serve as commissioners of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  Last week, the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee advanced the nominations with a 15 yeas to 13 nays party-line vote.  The Senate may consider the nominations as early as this week. 

The National Consumers League Issues a Nationwide Warning About Self-Injecting “Research-Grade” Synthetic Peptides

July 24, 2026 in /by

July 24, 2026: Washington, DC – At a time when a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommends loosening restrictions on some widely promoted research-grade peptides, the National Consumers League is going public about the serious health consequences of acquiring and self-injecting peptides that have not been proven through completed clinical trials to be safe and are prohibited for human use in Canada, Australia, the European Union, and by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

National Consumers League Urges Congress — Stronger Protections for Consumers, Ticketing Reform, and Anti-Fraud Collaboration

July 22, 2026 in /by

July 22, 2026: Washington, DC – Today, John D. Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud at the National Consumers League (NCL), testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade. The hearing, titled “Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing Marketplace,” addressed key legislation impacting consumer agency authority, marketplace transparency, and fraud prevention.  

Consumer Groups Oppose Confirmation of Lorenze, Sessions as CPSC Commissioners

July 21, 2026 in /by

July 21, 2026: Washington, DC – The National Consumers League, Consumer Federation of America, and 29 other stakeholders sent a letter to members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation opposing the confirmation of Brien Lorenze and Karen Sessions to serve as commissioners of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  The committee is scheduled to vote on the nominations tomorrow. 

NCL Petitions FTC For Sports Betting, Prediction Market Notification Controls  

July 20, 2026 in /by

July 20, 2026: Washington, DC – The National Consumers League, alongside the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, the National Council on Problem Gambling, the Public Health Advocacy Institute, and Truth in Advertising, Inc. (TINA.org), today filed a petition calling on the Federal Trade Commission to require wagering apps to provide consumers better control over the notifications they receive.

NCL, 14 Other Orgs Oppose X/Twitter Attempt to Escape Privacy Requirements

July 2, 2026 in /by

July 2, 2026: Washington, DC – Today, the National Consumers League and 14 other organizations submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) opposing a petition from X Corp. (formerly Twitter) to discard an order requiring the company to maintain privacy and cybersecurity safeguards. The order—unanimously approved in 2022 by two Republican and two Democratic commissioners—was necessitated after Twitter repeatedly violated a preexisting privacy order it had been under since 2011. The 2011 order was also ratified unanimously at the time by two Republicans and three Democrats.