NCL, 55 Organizations Urge Lawmakers to Pass the Safety Is Not For Sale Act

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

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) and 55 of the nation’s most prominent automobile safety and consumer protection organizations sent a letter to leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in support of the Safety is Not For Sale Act. The legislation requires that optional automobile safety systems be made available as part of the base trim or be disclosed and offered for sale separately from non-safety-related equipment.

“Regrettably, many lifesaving safety features are solely available on luxury trims or sold as part of expensive add-on packages with non-safety-related features, such as sophisticated infotainment systems, advanced sound systems, and lavish seats,” the letter states. “As such, consumers may be forced to purchase expensive luxury features they do not want or need in order to equip their vehicle with the safety features of their choosing. These practices make vital safety technologies less affordable and accessible, as consumers frequently must pay thousands of dollars more for luxury trims and optional packages. The Safety is Not For Sale Act is vital to ensuring that consumers have more affordable access to lifesaving automobile safety features.”

In February, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade reported the Safety is Not For Sale Act to the Energy and Commerce Committee.

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

Letter cosigners:

National Consumers League

Access Ready Inc.

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

America Walks

Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota

Bike Cleveland

Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire

BikeLA

BikeWalkNC

BioInjury LLC

California Bicycle Coalition

Center for Auto Safety

Consumer Federation of America

Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety

Consumer Reports

Detroit Greenways Coalition

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

Earth Ethics, Inc.

Families for Safe Streets National

Homestretch Nonprofit Housing Corp.

Impact Teen Drivers

Jacob Bikes

Just Strategy

Kids and Car Safety

League of American Bicyclists

Living Streets Alliance

Local Motion, Inc.

Marin County Bicycle Coalition

Move Redmond

Napa County Bicycle Coalition

National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association

National Center for Health Research

National Coalition for Safer Roads

National Safety Council

New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition

Oregon Consumer Justice

Oregon Consumer League

Parents for Window Blind Safety

Pennsylvania Downtown Center

Ready Set Bike

Reese’s Purpose

Ride Illinois

Safe Infant Sleep

Safe Kids Worldwide

Safety Research & Strategies

Science Corps

Spark Access

Stopdistractions.org

The Wisconsin Bike Fed

ThinkFirst Foundation

Truck Safety Coalition

US Swim School Association

Vision 20/20 Project

Vision Zero Network

Washington Area Bicyclist Association

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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. 

Fuel Economy Features Save Car Owners Over $9,000 a Year Says National Consumers League 

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

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) today sent a letter to the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee in advance of the hearing on S. 3135, the Cold Weather Diesel Reliability Act.  The legislation would grant the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to permit vehicle manufacturers to suspend engine shutdown features on diesel vehicles in extreme cold. 

“As families across the country reel from the ongoing affordability crisis, we encourage lawmakers to consider the substantial effect fuel economy features have on alleviating household budgetary pressure, as detailed in our report titled Sticker Shock,” wrote Daniel Greene, the Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety at NCL. “Compliance with federal fuel economy and safety standards accounts for a small fraction of vehicle expenditures, but it generates thousands of dollars in benefits per household and trillions of dollars in societal benefits.” 

The letter notes that equipment upgrades—which include changes in fuel economy, comfort, convenience, durability, nonmandatory safety improvements, and safety standards that first require compliance after 2019—account for only $3,040.20, or 13 percent, of the increase in average expenditures per new passenger vehicle since 2002.  Adoption of these fuel economy features has dramatically improved the efficiency of the fleet.  Between 2002 and 2024, the real-world miles per gallon (mpg) of new cars rose from 22.8 mpg to 36.6 mpg, a 60.5 percent improvement. Over the same period, the real-world mpg of light trucks increased from 16.5 mpg to 24.6 mpg, a 49.3 percent increase. 

“Because of fuel-economy improvements, owners of model year 2024 cars save, on average, $9,099.75 in avoided gasoline expenditures,” the letter continues. “Owners of model year 2024 light trucks save, on average, $9,920.23 in avoided gasoline expenditures.” 

A copy of the letter can be found HERE. 

In February, NCL released a report on vehicle affordability, finding that federal safety and fuel economy standards save consumers thousands while having a marginal effect on affordability. The full report is available here: Sticker Shock: Uncovering the Real Drivers of Rising Vehicle Prices. 

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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. 

National Consumers League Applauds Progress on Responsible GLP-1 Marketing  

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

Washington, DC – As an organization focused on the safety of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, the National Consumers League welcomes the agreement between Novo Nordisk and the telehealth platform Hims & Hers as an important step that could turn the tide away from consumers opting for unapproved GLP-1 weight-loss products. 

By allowing Hims & Hers to sell Novo Nordisk’s injectable semaglutide drugs and the new pill form at the self-pay prices offered on other telehealth platforms, the agreement will give more consumers access to FDA-approved GLP-1 medicines whose safety is established by large clinical trials. Under the agreement, Hims will also offer to transition patients now taking a compounded GLP-1 to an FDA-approved alternative in consultation with a health professional. 

But what NCL views as especially noteworthy is that Hims & Hers will stop advertising compounded GLP-1s as safe alternatives to the FDA-approved medicines. As one of the largest advertisers of compounded GLP-1 weight-loss products, including glitzy ads during the 2025 and 2026 Super Bowls, Hims & Hers has played an outsized role in promoting compounded versions through tactics that violate the Federal Trade Commission’s prohibition on false and deceptive advertising. NCL has repeatedly called out the company for deceptive advertising practices, such as unsubstantiated claims and the omission of information on side effects and risks, which mislead consumers into believing that untested, unapproved compounded GLP-1s are essentially the same in safety and efficacy as FDA-approved medicines. 

“This could be the breakthrough that consumer advocates and patient safety organizations have hoped for. Not only will more consumers have affordable access to FDA-approved GLP-1 weight loss products, but there is the potential to blunt the impact of the voluminous, misleading television and online advertising that only promotes the benefits of compounded GLP-1s without disclosing the risks. It is a win-win that will lead to better obesity care while reducing the harm when consumers opt for unapproved drugs, and some pay the price with serious health problems,” said NCL’s Director of Food and Nutrition Policy, Nancy Glick.” 

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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.   

States Must Step Up if DOJ Sells Out to Live Nation

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

Washington, DC – Reports of a pending settlement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster, should be deeply concerning to all Americans, including live event fans, legislators, and competitors of the live event monopoly. The following statement is attributable to John Breyault, National Consumers League Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud:

“Reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has reached a settlement with Live Nation Entertainment that allows the company to keep its Ticketmaster empire are deeply disappointing for the millions of consumers who have endured years of sky-high fees, botched ticket sales, and a marketplace tilted against fans.

Live Nation has long been the poster child for monopoly power in the live entertainment industry. Through its ownership of Ticketmaster and its dominance in concert promotion and venue management, the company has amassed extraordinary control over the live music ecosystem. This has left fans, artists, and independent venues with nowhere else to turn.

If reports are accurate, the roughly $200 million penalty included in the settlement amounts to little more than a slap on the wrist. For a company of Live Nation’s size, that figure is less than a third of a year’s profits. That is the cost of doing business, not a meaningful penalty. Consumers who have been forced to pay inflated ticket prices and junk fees deserve far more.

Equally troubling are reports that Live Nation hired Trump-connected lobbyists while the case was pending and that senior antitrust officials, including antitrust chief Gail Slater, were pushed out of the DOJ during the litigation. That sequence of events raises fundamental questions about whether the outcome of this case was driven by the public interest or by political influence.

When a company accused of monopoly abuses hires well-connected lobbyists, and suddenly the government’s case collapses into a modest fine, consumers have every right to ask whether justice was truly served.

Allowing Live Nation to keep Ticketmaster without meaningful structural remedies would squander a rare opportunity to restore competition to the live entertainment marketplace. For years, fans have watched ticket prices soar while service fees multiply — a system that advocates say reflects a market where competition has been stifled.

The fight, however, is not over. The states that joined this case did so because they recognized the harm that Live Nation’s conduct has inflicted on fans, artists, and independent venues. If the federal government is unwilling to finish the job, state attorneys general must step up and hold Live Nation accountable for years of anti-competitive and anti-consumer conduct.

The company’s credibility with regulators is already in doubt. In a separate case brought by the Federal Trade Commission, regulators allege that Live Nation Entertainment and its Ticketmaster subsidiary misled consumers and enabled practices that undermined the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, reinforcing concerns that the company has been willing to bend the rules and the truth when dealing with regulators.

Concertgoers deserve a marketplace where competition — not monopoly power — determines the price of a ticket.”

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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.

New Report: 340B Cancer Hospitals More Likely to Pursue Aggressive Medical Debt Collection

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

Washington, DC – A new analysis from the National Consumers League (NCL) finds that hospitals participating in the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program—including many hospitals that treat high volumes of cancer patients —are more likely than non-340B hospitals to permit aggressive medical debt collection practices such as lawsuits, wage garnishment, liens, and credit reporting.

The data show that 75% of 340B hospitals allow legal action against patients, compared with 62% of non-340B hospitals.

“Our report highlights a troubling reality for Americans facing cancer,” said Lisa Bercu, NCL’s Senior Director of Health Policy. “Hospitals meant to support vulnerable patients are, in many cases, pursuing legal action against them. No one should be forced to choose between survival and financial ruin.”

Medical debt is widespread and damaging. Nearly half of U.S. adults report having medical debt, and cancer patients with debt are three times more likely to delay recommended screenings—jeopardizing their health outcomes.

“After cancer treatment, I drained savings, used work bonuses, launched a GoFundMe, and withdrew from my 401(k),” said Dr. Garrina Ross, metastatic breast cancer thriver and Tigerlily ANGEL Advocate. “Bills went to collections, damaged my credit, and made it difficult to secure housing. Patients should not face financial devastation while hospitals benefit from federal drug discounts tied to their care.”

The analysis reviewed 2,500 hospitals nationwide using data from the Lown Institute, CMS, HRSA, and national claims databases. Among hospitals treating the highest volumes of cancer patients (top 10% nationally), 340B hospitals were consistently more likely than non-340B hospitals to maintain policies permitting aggressive debt collection.

“These findings raise serious questions about whether 340B savings are consistently reaching the patients the program was designed to protect,” Bercu added. “Patients with cancer should not face lawsuits and wage garnishment while hospitals benefit from federal drug discounts.”

As policymakers debate the future of the 340B program, NCL urges stronger accountability measures to ensure patients meaningfully benefit from the program and that hospitals receiving drug discounts do not engage in aggressive debt collection against the very patients the program is intended to support.

Policy Recommendations
  • Strengthen and enforce charity care requirements for 340B hospitals
  • Prohibit aggressive debt practices, including denial of care due to existing medical debt
  • Expand financial assistance screening and transparent billing
  • Exclude medical debt from credit reporting decisions
  • Prohibit transfer of spousal medical debt
  • Support Medicaid expansion and federally qualified health centers
  • Advance federal and state medical debt relief proposals
The full report and recommendations are available here.
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About the National Consumers League (NCL)
Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization, dedicated to protecting and promoting social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. Learn more at www.nclnet.org.

Top Ten Scams Report: Phishing and Spoofing Scams Nearly Double in 2025 as AI-Powered Fraud Surges

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

Washington, DC – Phishing and spoofing scams soared by 85.6% over the past year, doubling median losses from $1,000 to $2,060, according to the National Consumers League’s Fraud.org Top Ten Scams of 2025 report. Of 1,376 consumer complaints analyzed, investment scams caused the highest median loss at $30,000. 

“Given widespread evidence that scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools to craft better pitches, the rise in phishing complaints is particularly concerning,” said NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud John Breyault. “AI enables criminals to quickly generate highly realistic phishing emails and clone voices, making scams more convincing and allowing them to reach more targets than before. This underscores the need for consumers to verify information before trusting it.” 

The changing landscape is evident in attack methods as well. In a dramatic shift, web-based contact has overtaken phone scams as the primary attack vector, with 48% of victims reporting their first interaction with scammers occurred online—marking the end of the robocall era’s dominance.  

The Top Ten Scams categories reported to Fraud.org in 2025 were:    

  • Phishing/Spoofing
    Emails pretending to be from a well-known source ask consumers to enter or confirm personal information. 
  • Internet: General Merchandise
    Goods purchased are either never delivered or misrepresented. 
  • Prizes/Sweepstakes/Free Gifts
    Requests for payment to claim fictitious prizes, lottery winnings, or gifts. 
  • Investment: Other (including cryptocurrency)
    Consumers are tricked into paying money for bogus cryptocurrency investments. 
  • Advance Fee Loans, Credit Arrangers
    False promises of business or personal loans, even if credit is bad, for a fee upfront. 
  • Fake Check Scams
    Consumers are asked to cash fraudulent checks and then send the proceeds to a scammer before the check clears. 
  • Friendship & Sweetheart Swindles
    A con artist nurtures an online relationship, builds trust, and convinces victims to send money. 
  • Family/Friend Imposters
    A scammer calls or emails, claiming that a friend or family member is in distress (in jail, in the hospital, etc.) and urgently needs funds to help. 
  • Home Repair
    Fraud involving contractors or repair services that take payment upfront, perform poor or no work, or disappear before completing promised repairs. 
  • Credit Repair
    Fraud involving companies that promise to fix or improve credit scores for a fee, often using illegal or misleading tactics and failing to deliver real results. 

The National Consumers League’s Top Ten Scams report analyzes 1,376 complaints submitted to Fraud.org in 2025. These complaints are self-reported and do not constitute a nationally representative sample of fraud victims. NCL shares complaint data with a network of law enforcement and consumer protection partners, who combine it with other data sources to identify fraud trends and support enforcement actions.  

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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.   

SCOTUS Decision Is an Opportunity to End Anti-Consumer Tariffs

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

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League applauds today’s decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, striking down President Trump’s sweeping tariff program, which is a major victory for American consumers and a rebuke of a costly experiment that functioned as a hidden tax on families.  

The following statement is attributable to John Breyault, National Consumers League Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud:  

“For months, shoppers have been forced to shoulder tariff-related junk fees, price hikes, and supply chain disruptions that had little clear economic justification. These tariffs didn’t protect consumers — they punished them.  

The Court’s ruling should close the door — permanently — on this anti-consumer tariff regime. These tariffs operated as a nationwide price hike affecting everything from household goods to everyday essentials. American families should not be collateral damage in an ideologically driven trade policy.”  

The White House should respect both the spirit and the letter of this ruling and refrain from attempting to resurrect these sweeping tariffs under alternative statutory authorities. Repackaging the same policy under a different legal label would only prolong economic uncertainty and continue to squeeze household budgets.  

At a time when families are struggling with affordability, federal policy should be laser-focused on lowering costs and promoting competition — not reviving broad-based tariffs that act as hidden taxes at the checkout counter.” 

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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 Applauds Subcommittee Passage of Safety is Not For Sale, PART Act

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

Washington, DC – The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade on Tuesday reported 12 bills to full committee that seek to improve roadway safety, strengthen American automobile manufacturing, and protect vehicle owners from unfair business practices. The National Consumers League (NCL) submitted a letter for the record, urging Congress to enact critical reforms to save lives, reduce injuries, support innovation, and spur economic growth.

“The death and destruction on our nation’s roads does not have to be the price we pay for commuting to work, dropping the kids off at school, or picking up groceries,” the letter states. “We applaud you for seeking to reduce the unacceptable loss of life, physical injuries, and economic costs attributable to motor vehicle crashes.”

“NCL strongly supports the Safety is Not for Sale Act, as such legislation is vital to ensuring consumers have more affordable access to life-saving automobile safety features,” the letter continues. “NCL found that some advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) are sold as luxury items that must be purchased for an extra fee or as part of expensive add-on packages. These additional costs may put these life-saving technologies out of reach for many Americans.”

NCL also expressed support for the PART Act, which requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to mandate that catalytic converters be affixed with antitheft markings, establishes a grant program to facilitate the marking of catalytic converters currently deployed in interstate commerce, and increases criminal penalties for catalytic converter theft.

“We are encouraged that the Committee is taking action to prevent catalytic converter theft, which has become a major consumer and environmental protection issue,” the letter states.

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

This month, NCL released a report on vehicle affordability, finding that federal safety and fuel economy standards save consumers thousands while having a marginal effect on affordability. The full report is available here: Sticker Shock: Uncovering the Real Drivers of Rising Vehicle Prices.

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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.   

Live Nation Litigation Must Continue Despite Possible Interference

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

Washington, DC – Recent turbulence at the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division has culminated in the absence of its top leadership, including now-former Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater. NCL is deeply concerned about the potential impact this disruption could have on the Division’s ability to pursue antitrust enforcement consistently, independently, and in the public interest. Leadership instability at such a critical moment raises serious questions about whether major cases – including the ongoing litigation against Live Nation-Ticketmaster, which NCL has long supported – will be carried through to their conclusion. 

Regardless of DOJ’s next steps, NCL urges state attorneys general to remain committed to enforcing federal and state antitrust laws, particularly in the Live Nation monopolization case, where 40 state attorneys general lead the lawsuit alongside the U.S. DOJ.  

“The mandate of law enforcement agencies, including DOJ, is to protect the public and uphold the law,” said NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud John Breyault. “Antitrust enforcement must be guided by the facts, the law, and the interests of consumers — not by shifting institutional dynamics. If DOJ is unable to continue this litigation, state attorneys general must stand up for their constituents and see the case through.”  

NCL is also calling on the U.S. House and Senate Judiciary Committees to investigate political interference in DOJ’s antitrust activities, especially if recent tumult at the agency results in the termination of ongoing enforcement actions. 

Additional 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.   

14 Public Interest Groups Urge Meta to Act on Scam Ads

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

Washington, DC – Today, the National Consumers League and 13 other public interest groups urged Meta to implement new policies to combat the epidemic of scam ads on its platforms, which includes Facebook and Instagram. The advocacy effort comes after reporting that the company at one point projected 10% of its revenue to come from advertisements for scams and banned goods. Meta also privately estimated that the company facilitated a third of all successful scams in the United States.

“Preventing the proliferation of scams is one of the most effective ways to protect the public from further losses,” said John Breyault, NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud. “Meta is uniquely positioned to stop a massive amount of fraud before it even happens. We believe it has a responsibility to do so.”

The consumer groups are pushing Meta to establish a victim restitution program, strengthen its oversight of advertisers, and increase transparency into its handling of suspected scam ads.

The organizations also indicated that they are exploring ways to support new state and federal legal requirements, including the enforcement of existing statutes prohibiting unfair and deceptive practices and the enactment of new legislation regarding the facilitation of scam advertisements.

“Given Meta’s enormous size and the scale of its platforms, it is one of the entities in the fraud ecosystem best positioned to combat these crimes,” wrote the groups.

The full letter can be found 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.