Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) Chair Nancy Nord said she won’t resign her position, despite calls from several member of Congress that she step down. Nord and her agency have been under fire in recent months after a series of highly publicized toy recalls led to questions about the way the CPSC polices consumer products. Now, some Democrats in Congress want Nord out because of her opposition to recently proposed CPSC reforms.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is just one lawmaker calling for Nord’s resignation. Pelosi recently criticized a letter Nord wrote to Congress in which she voiced her opposition to an overhaul of the CPSC, including proposals that would double the cash-strapped agency’s funding. The proposal would also increase CPSC staff, and improve product testing facilities. Finally, the CPSC would be given more authority to order recalls and fine companies that put dangerous products on the market. In her letter, Nord complained that some aspects of the additional responsibilities placed on the CPSC would be too much of a burden for the agency.
