Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Firing Of Consumer Product Safety Commission Members
June 13, 2025, Big Rapids Pioneer (Associated Press)
A federal judge has blocked the terminations of three Democratic members of the CPSC after they were fired by President Donald Trump in his effort to assert more power over independent federal agencies. After suing the Trump administration last month, the fired commissioners received a ruling in their favor, which likely will be appealed. Federal statute states that the president can fire commissioners “for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office but for no other cause” — allegations that have not been made against the commissioners in question. But attorneys for the Trump administration assert that the statute is unconstitutional because the president’s authority extends to dismissing federal employees who “exercise significant executive power,” according to court filings.
CPSC Changes: Observations From A Former Employee
June 9, 2025, Product Safety Letter
by Marc J. Schoem. Originally published in the Product Safety Letter in his individual capacity and as a former Deputy Director of the Office of Compliance and Field Operations at CPSC. This article is not made on behalf of ICPHSO or CPSC, which have neither reviewed nor endorsed the content below. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the position of ICPHSO on this or any related matter.
Mr. Schoem writes, “During the 1960s, product safety concerns were managed by multiple government agencies. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed legislation establishing the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which was granted primary responsibility for consumer product safety by Congress…Since its inception, the agency has been led by a bipartisan commission that sets policy and guides the work of dedicated staff. From my earliest days at CPSC, the staff who worked at the Commission had an endless supply of passion and enthusiasm to help make consumer products safer thereby reducing the potential for consumer injuries. This advocacy continues to this day and hopefully won’t change in the future. Without the dedicated staff advancing product safety the world loses.”
Acting Chairman Peter Feldman Announces Key Senior Staff Appointments
June 12, 2025, cpsc.gov
Peter A. Feldman, Acting Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the following senior staff appointments: Tripp DeMoss has joined Acting Chairman Feldman’s office as Senior Counsel and White House Liaison, Tripp most recently was as an attorney at Balch & Bingham LLP. Tripp’s career spans well over a decade in law and government. Noah Vehafric has been appointed to serve as Special Assistant to Acting Chairman Feldman. Prior to joining CPSC, Noah was an associate at AxAdvocacy, a public affairs and government relations firm. Noah has also held roles at The Heritage Foundation and Americans for Tax Reform, focusing on tech and telecom issues.
Harvard Business Review: Organizations Aren’t Ready For The Risks Of Agentic AI
June 13, 2025, Harvard Business Review
It’s virtually impossible to have a conversation about the future of business without talking about AI. What’s more, the technology is evolving at a furious pace. What started as AI chatbots and image generators are becoming AI “agents”—AI systems that can execute a series of tasks without being given specific instructions. No one knows exactly how all this will play out, but details aside, leaders are considering the very real possibility of wide-scale organizational disruption.
Dolls To Downloads: Courts Reimagine Product Liability For The Digital Age
June 12, 2025, Techpolicy.press
Kids today spend their allowance money on virtual bundles in apps. Their coloring books and board games are digital. Children (and adults alike) play and engage daily with digital products. Sometimes, they also get injured by them. Courts are increasingly recognizing this. And courts are recognizing that manufacturers of such digital products have the same responsibilities to provide safe products as manufacturers of physical goods, especially when those users are children.
EU: Agreement On Product Safety For Detergents In The Single Market
June 12, 2025, Pub Affairs Bruxelles
The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on Product Safety For Detergents And Surfactants proposed by the Commission in April 2023. The changes will strengthen product safety and improve market access for all detergent products, including innovative microbial cleaning solutions. A key feature is the introduction of a digital product passport, accessible via tools like QR codes. These passports will be required at EU borders, including online sales.
Managing Forever Chemicals: The Road Ahead For PFAS Policy
June 11, 2025, conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/
Since the mid-20th century, PFAS have been promoted as revolutionary materials. These chemicals are used in thousands of products, from everyday household items to critical components of modern infrastructure. Growing scientific evidence now shows that despite their versatility, PFAS degrade extremely slowly. Over time, their accumulation in the environment can lead to a wide range of serious health impacts. This article explores the latest developments surrounding PFAS and examine what the coming short-, medium-, and long-term responses might look like.
New EPA Data Shows 165M People Exposed To ‘Forever Chemicals’ In U.S. Drinking Water
June 12, 2025, Environmental Working Group
New data released by the Environmental Protection Agency shows an additional 6.5 million Americans have drinking water contaminated by the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. It brings the total number of people at risk of drinking this contaminated tap water to about 165 million across the U.S. That’s a 4% increase in the number of Americans with verified PFAS-polluted water in just the last few months. Exposure to PFAS is linked to cancer, reproductive harm, immune system damage and other serious health problems, even at low levels. “It is impossible to ignore the growing public health crisis of PFAS exposure. It’s detectable in nearly everyone and it’s found nearly everywhere, including the drinking water for a huge segment of the population,” said David Andrews, Ph.D., acting chief science officer at the Environmental Working Group.
CPSC: Stop Using Joyracer Youth All-Terrain Vehicles (Atvs) Due To Risk Of Serious Injury Or Death From Collision And Crash Hazards; No Recall Or Remedy Offered
June 12, 2025, cpsc.gov
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to immediately stop using Joyracer 500w Dirt Quad Electric ATVs. The youth ATVs are missing a tail lamp, stop lamp and all required safety reflectors, reducing visibility of the ATV to other vehicles, posing a collision hazard. The handlebars also fail to comply with ATV safety requirements, posing a deadly laceration hazard. CPSC issued a Notice of Violation to the seller, Joyracer, of China. Joyracer has been unresponsive to repeated CPSC requests for information about this product and is not offering a remedy to consumers.
Amazon Urged To Ban Sale Of ‘Unsafe’ E-Bikes In UK
June 14, 2025, The Times
Amazon is being urged to crack down on the sale of modified electric bikes that can travel at 40 miles per hour and run on batteries that are prone to bursting into flames. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking has written to the head of Amazon in the UK, urging the retailer to immediately halt sales of the bikes and all equipment that is used to convert legitimate electric bikes into so-called “fake e-bikes.” The group, chaired by the Labour MP Fabian Hamilton, is also calling on ministers to implement tighter controls on the sale of e-bikes.
Democrats: Representatives Press CPSC On Withdrawal Battery Safety Standard Proposal Withdrawal
June 10, 2025, Congressional Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party
Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) wrote to Acting Chairman Peter Feldman and Commissioner Douglas Dziakof the CPSC. The letter was in response to them overturning a recent move to issue a proposed regulation establishing a federal safety standard for lithium-ion batteries in micro-mobility devices. Their letter, reads, in part, “Manufacturers in the PRC are overwhelmingly the source of these dangerous products reaching the U.S. market. As noted, the Commission reports that “most” or “nearly all” micromobility platforms being sold in the United States are imported products made in the PRC. Additionally, where there are domestic manufacturers of micromobility devices, most of the lithium-ion batteries they use are typically imported from the PRC.”
Washington State Would Require Reporting Of Intentionally Added PFAS In Cookware
June 10, 2025, Keller & Heckman (Packaginglaw.com)
The Washington State Department of Ecology (DoE) proposed revising “Safer Products Restrictions and Reporting,” to adopt restrictions and reporting requirements related to the intentional use of PFAS in certain product categories. With respect to food-contact materials, the proposed rule requires manufacturers to report the intentional use of PFAS to the food-contact surface of durable cookware and kitchen supplies. Under the proposed rule, detection of total fluorine will be presumed to mean PFAS are intentionally added.
Illinois Expands PFAS Ban, Targets Common Consumer Products In New Law
June 10, 2025, E+E Leader
Illinois has enacted one of the most comprehensive state-level bans on products containing intentionally added PFAS, targeting a wide range of consumer goods commonly found in households. Under House Bill 2516, the sale, distribution, or offering for sale of PFAS-laden products will be prohibited in Illinois starting January 1, 2026. The ban includes cookware, cosmetics, dental floss, juvenile products, menstrual products, intimate apparel and food packaging and food contact materials.
