Awning Safety Act of 2025

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1767, the Awning Safety Act.

In 2019, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall of 270,000 motorized awnings sold in the United States that had caused six injuries and, tragically, one death. While I commend the CPSC for taking action to protect Americans from this hazardous product, we must do more to ensure that awning products available to consumers are safe, regardless of brand or manufacturer. American families should be able to enjoy the shade without fear of injury or death from the awning that they use.

Now, the Awning Safety Act would require the CPSC to create a safety standard for fixed and freestanding retractable awnings. While the CPSC has taken action through individual recalls on occasion, there is no voluntary or mandatory standard to these awnings, and injuries continue to mount.

In 2023, Dr. Michael Hnat was the father of a former committee Republican staffer, and I believe that she is in the gallery today with her mother. Dr. Hnat was tragically killed as the result of an accident involving a retractable awning. We must act to ensure that other American families do not suffer a similar tragedy because of problems with retractable awnings.

However, compliance with this bill depends on the existence of a strong, bipartisan, and independent CPSC to protect Americans from unsafe products. At the same time as my Republican colleagues praise this bill, they have continued to remain silent on President Trump's willingness to risk the safety of American children and families by attempting to unlawfully remove Democratic CPSC commissioners and planning to eliminate the CPSC altogether.

I am pleased a district court recently upheld the law and reinstated the Democratic commissioners to their posts, but the Trump administration is fighting that ruling. I remain deeply concerned about this administration's attempt to eradicate the independence of the CPSC and other independent agencies like the CPSC.

I also strongly oppose the Trump administration's ongoing plans to fold the CPSC's mission into the Department of Health and Human Services with a smaller budget, fewer expert staff, and a narrower mission.

American consumers deserve to have peace of mind that the products they bring into their homes are safe. I commend Representatives Castor and Balderson for their work and leadership on this issue. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1767, the Awning Safety Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, obviously, this is an important bill from a consumer safety point of view. I urge all my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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