EXCLUSIVE — A congressional committee has launched an investigation into Consumer Product Safety Commission Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr., accusing him of acting outside of his authority to interfere with private business.
Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), the chairman of the House Committee on Small Business , sent a letter to the chairman of the CPSC, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, saying Trumka’s actions may be in violation of the Consumer Product Safety Act and have hurt small businesses.
Trumka, a Democrat who is the son of prominent union leader Richard Trumka, has served on the panel since 2021. Despite Trumka having a relatively obscure regulatory position, he thrust himself into the spotlight last year by igniting a political firestorm over the issue of gas stoves.
Then, Trumka generated headlines when he said in an interview that the agency was weighing a ban on gas stoves due to health hazards, breaking with all other members of the commission. Despite a failed previous attempt for CPSC to regulate gas stoves, he controversially told Bloomberg that the appliance was a “hidden hazard” and that “any option is on the table” to regulate them.
Following that, the CPSC chairman was forced to publish a statement walking back Trumka’s remarks.
Williams is now taking issue with Trumka’s handling of weighted infant sleep products but more broadly is expressing concerns that he is overstepping his authority.
Williams wrote that Trumka proposed a rule that would have made weighted infant sleep product standards “unnecessarily burdensome,” which was rejected by the CPSC in a 3-1 vote. But Trumka nonetheless attempted to ban certain sleep weight products, Williams said.
He faulted Trumka for issuing a public statement in April titled "Beware: Weighted Infant Swaddles and Blankets are Unsafe for Sleep; Retailers Should Consider Stopping Sales." Williams noted that the statement was published on the CPSC website.
Despite the commission voting down the proposed rule, Trumka contacted major retailers like Target, Walmart, Nordstrom, and Babylist, asking them to stop selling weighted infant products, which prompted them to stop selling the products, the letter contends.
He then issued another public statement about how he had contacted the retailers over the matter and reminded the public not to use the “dangerous” products, according to Williams.
“Commissioner Trumka used the CPSC’s official letterhead—giving an appearance of presenting the CPSC’s views—and signed the letters himself,” the letter reads.
The letter also accuses Trumka of publicly disclosing information about the manufacturers’ identity by citing a news article that names the manufacturers of the products in question. This could represent a violation of the Consumer Public Safety Act, according to the letter.
“It appears that CPSC Commissioner Trumka is taking advantage of his position to influence companies based off his personal beliefs,” Williams said in a separate statement. “The CPSC has a process in place to decide if products should be removed from the marketplace. No single Commissioner should wield their power to subvert this process and pressure the private sector to do their personal bidding.”
“The CPSC is structured as a commission for a reason, and this practice must end,” the Texas congressman added.
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“The Committee is concerned that a single CPSC Commissioner is exerting undue pressure on entities and forcing them to improperly remove small business’ products from their shelves to the detriment of those small businesses,” the Thursday letter concludes.
As part of its investigation, the committee requested copies of all letters sent by Trumka on CPSC letterhead and copies of all amendments and rules he has proposed.
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