NCL details outlines priorities for the consumer product safety commission

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

Washington, DC – In response to a Notice of Public Hearing, the National Consumers League (NCL) provided comments on the agenda and priorities of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for fiscal year 2026 and 2027. In their comments, NCL conveys its support for a strong, independent CPSC and encourages the agency to establish standards and conduct enforcement activities necessary to address unacceptable risks posed by product hazards.

“NCL strongly opposes any attempt to eliminate or otherwise transfer the functions of the CPSC to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),” writes Daniel Greene, NCL’s Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety. “Congress deliberately established an independent, nonpartisan agency with exclusive authority over the safety of consumer products. Such independence ensures that product safety issues are treated like the public safety imperative they so clearly are. That independence should be preserved.”

NCL also expresses its strong support for increasing resources and personnel for the CPSC.

“Efforts to dramatically reduce the CPSC’s resources, staff, and facilities could substantially diminish the Commission’s ability to carry out its mission,” Greene continues. “More resources and personnel will enable the CPSC to better stop hazardous products at U.S. ports of entry, vigorously enforce product safety laws, investigate product hazards, effectively convey safety information to the American public, and accelerate the modernization of mission-critical technology.”

The comments conclude by detailing several vital safety standards and authorities, including table saw safety standards, increased accountability for e-commerce sites, and more personnel for import surveillance.

“Previous voluntary standards [for table saw safety] have been ineffective in preventing injuries, thus justifying the need for this mandatory safety standard using proven effective technology that prevents serious injuries from table saws,” Greene writes. “The matter of table saw safety has been an ongoing concern of NCL for more than a decade. It’s time to get this vital standard over the finish line.”

A copy of NCL’s comments 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.    

NCL sounds the alarm on bigger freight trucks: “a dangerous gamble for public safety and our roads”

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

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) is strongly opposing federal proposals to allow significantly longer and heavier freight trucks on U.S. highways, calling the move a significant threat to public safety, infrastructure, and taxpayers.  

In an opinion piece published today in The Hill, NCL’s Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety, Daniel Greene, joined David Williams, the President of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, to warn lawmakers and the public about the dangers of weakening truck size and weight limits.  

“Increasing size and weight limits would exacerbate the nation’s traffic safety crisis,” write Greene and Williams. “The heavier the truck, the greater the crash forces, increasing the lethality accidents.”  

Data cited in the article show that trucks weighing 91,000 pounds or more are up to 400 percent more likely to be involved in major crashes and cause significantly more damage to roads and bridges. Replacing weakened infrastructure to accommodate these trucks could cost taxpayers $80 billion, according to a 2023 analysis.  

“Politicians and advocacy groups across the political spectrum may not always agree on the best way to fix America’s roads, but they should agree that introducing larger and heavier vehicles is a recipe for disaster,” Greene and Williams continued. “ Lawmakers should swerve away from these policy potholes and commit to real bipartisan protections.”  

 NCL is calling on Congress to uphold current truck size and weight limits and reject efforts to allow heavier trucks or longer multi-trailer rigs on U.S. highways. 

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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 denounces postponement of CPSC priorities hearing

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

Washington, DC — Yesterday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) postponed its previously scheduled priorities hearing to August 27, 2025. Priorities hearings lay the foundation for the CPSC’s annual agenda, providing a crucial forum in which experts, victims, and industry players provide the CPSC with information necessary to identify, assess, and determine how to mitigate the risk of product safety hazards.

“Safety delayed is safety denied,” said Daniel Greene, Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety at the National Consumers League. “With 49,000 deaths, 34 million injuries, and $1 trillion in societal costs attributed to product hazards each year, the American people can ill afford such delays. The CPSC must operate more efficiently and effectively. Vital proceedings on button batteries, water beads, neck floats, bassinets and cradles, and other product safety hazards hang in the balance.”

In May, NCL led a letter of 158 advocates opposing plans to eliminate the CPSC and transfer the agency’s functions to HHS.

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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. 

Medicaid cuts deepen coordinated assault on women’s healthcare  

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

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) is speaking out against the sweeping Medicaid cuts included in Trump’s reconciliation package, warning that they come amid a dangerous, coordinated assault on women’s access to essential healthcare services. The new law imposes deep, structural reductions to Medicaid funding and blocks people who use Medicaid from getting care at Planned Parenthood, threatening the health and well-being of millions of low-income Americans, especially women who rely on the program for critical reproductive and preventive care.  This follows a recent Supreme Court decision giving states the green light to block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds for essential healthcare services. 

“These cuts to Medicaid and attacks on women’s health are unconscionable,” said NCL Senior Director of Health Policy Lisa Bercu. “They aren’t just numbers in a budget; they translate to fewer prenatal visits, canceled pap smears, and lost access to birth control. These attacks are not about abortion, as federal funds cannot be used for abortion services. Women who depend on Medicaid are being targeted from every angle, and it’s putting their health and lives at risk.”  

When the dust settles from these preposterous cuts, the reality is that 16 million people will be left uninsured—11.8 million due to the bill itself and another 4.2 million because of the failure to renew Affordable Care Act subsidies. The bottom line is that the right to affordable, accessible healthcare should not depend on your income, gender, or zip code.  

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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 reinstatement of democratic CPSC Commissioners  

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

 Washington, DC – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied a request by the Trump administration to reinstate its order to illegally fire three Democratic Commissioners of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). 

“This ruling is a resounding victory for product safety and the rule of law,” said Daniel Greene, the Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety at the National Consumers League.  “Partisanship has no place at the CPSC.  Now, the CPSC can resume its lifesaving mission—preventing unnecessary deaths and injuries from dangerous household products.” 

On May 8, 2025, Commissioners Richard Trumka and Commissioner Mary T. Boyle received an email from the White House purporting to fire them.  Commissioner Alexander Hoehn-Saric did not receive such an email but had been prevented from executing his duties by the Acting Chair.  On June 13, 2025, Judge Matthew Maddox of the Maryland District Court ruled that the attempted illegal firing violated federal law and ordered the commissioners’ immediate reinstatement. 

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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.   

Senate pushes cruel cuts; the National Consumers League (NCL) says most vulnerable will pay the price

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

Washington, DC — The National Consumers League (NCL) is disheartened by the Reconciliation Bill narrowly passed by the Senate (51–50), with Vice President Vance casting the deciding vote.  

“This bill is a full-on assault on healthcare, financial protections, and basic fairness for low-income Americans,” says NCL CEO Sally Greenberg.  

If signed into law, it would inflict serious harm on low-income and working-class Americans. This bill would strip millions of hard-working Americans of their health insurance, gut funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and dismantle key student loan protections.   

“It’s a cruel, backwards bill that prioritizes billionaires over working families.” Greenberg added. “It takes away the tools people need to stay healthy, financially stable, and above water—just to hand more money to the already powerful.” 

Far from promoting fiscal responsibility, the bill punishes everyday Americans by dismantling the programs they rely on, while billionaires and corporate interests walk away richer and less accountable. 

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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.     

Lisa Bercu joins NCL as Senior Director of Health Policy

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

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL), America’s pioneering consumer advocacy organization, is pleased to announce Lisa Bercu as the new Senior Director of Health Policy. Ms. Bercu brings more than a decade of experience in health policy, regulatory affairs, and legislative advocacy to her new role. 

Before joining the League, Lisa spent eight years at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where she served as Senior Regulatory Counsel in the Office of Generic Drugs and later as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs. Her extensive work at the FDA helped shape key policies related to drug access and patient safety.  

Prior to her federal service, Lisa held positions in congressional and regulatory affairs at both a medical society and a reproductive health organization, where she advanced initiatives focused on patient care and public health. 

Lisa earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. from the University of Michigan. 

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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.   

Statement from the National Consumers League on AI moratorium deal 

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

Washington, DC — The National Consumers League (NCL) today voiced strong opposition to the reported amendment to the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” imposing a five-year moratorium on state and local regulation of artificial intelligence systems. The deal, if enacted, would amount to a sweeping federal preemption of popular and long-standing consumer protection laws, ranging from robocall restrictions to children’s online safety, privacy rights, and protections from discriminatory AI applications. 

“This amendment is a gift to Big Tech at the expense of everyday consumers,” said John Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud at NCL. “By preempting vital state laws—many of which have protected consumers from robocalls, deceptive marketing, and data misuse for decades—Congress would be tying the hands of state lawmakers and attorneys general just as AI technologies are becoming more embedded in our daily lives. It won’t just block new consumer protections—it will gut existing ones.” 

Despite language that purports to preserve “generally applicable” laws, the moratorium’s vague exemptions could preempt nearly any regulation applicable to automated decision-making systems—including those widely used in telemarketing, online platforms, and political advertising. 

NCL urges lawmakers to reject this overbroad provision and stand with consumers, not tech monopolies. 

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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 calls on Congress to improve traffic safety 

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

Washington, DC — In advance of a subcommittee hearing on motor vehicle safety, the National Consumers League (NCL) sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee urging lawmakers to take decisive action to curb the unacceptable number of deaths and injuries that occur due to traffic crashes.  

“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.  “By harnessing revolutionary safety technologies, educating the motoring public, and improving the design, construction, and performance of motor vehicles, we can make our roadways safer.” 

In the letter, NCL provides several policy proposals to improve traffic safety. 

A copy of the 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.    

NCL strongly opposes 10-year ban on tech regulations 

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

Washington, DC — The “One Big Beautiful Bill” budget reconciliation legislation includes language that would largely ban states from regulating tech companies for 10 years if the states accept federal money for building out high-speed internet infrastructure. Specifically, the language prevents states from enforcing laws that protect the public from artificial intelligence and “automated decision systems.” The legislation’s definition of “automated decision systems” is so broad it could impact several existing state laws, including safeguards for digital privacy and anti-discrimination.  

“Congress shouldn’t force states to choose between building out high-speed internet or protecting their citizens from digital harms,” said NCL Vice President John Breyault. “Several states have enacted critical, non-partisan policies on issues like protecting the public from deceptive deepfakes. Throwing out these protections will not benefit a single constituent.” 

The National Consumers League opposes the inclusion of a ban on tech regulations within Congress’s budget reconciliation bill. The League strongly urges members of Congress to remove the provision. 

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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.