In Support of Restoring the White House Office of Consumer Affairs

Floor Speech

IN SUPPORT OF RESTORING THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS -- (Extensions of Remarks - February 13, 2009)

* Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, over the past eight years, American consumer safety has taken a back seat to the special interests. As a result, many Americans have been exposed to dangerous toys for their children, hazardous household products for their families and even contaminated food, resulting in illness. Now is the time to support consumer advocates across the country by encouraging the new administration to restore the White House Office of Consumer Affairs.

* Our country gave the government a clear mandate for change in November. Without question, a new focus on consumer safety should be part of this change. Under President Clinton, consumers had an effective advocate with a long record of commitment to protecting consumers in Ann Brown, former Chairwoman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Unfortunately, staff cutbacks suffered by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have undermined effective efforts to protect consumers.

* While bipartisan legislation has attempted to address these challenges, it is clear that more progress is required. We must act now. Americans should have confidence that the products they use are safe and will not pose any dangers to them or their families. The new Administration can make significant progress toward this goal by restoring the Office of Consumer Affairs to its rightful place in the Executive Branch. I strongly encourage President Obama's administration to do so, and I echo the New York Times and their call to action.

A VOICE FOR THE CONSUMER

The time has come to give the American consumer a much stronger voice in Washington. President-elect Barack Obama has already named what amounts to an energy and environmental czar in the White House, and America's beleaguered consumers deserve no less.

Mr. Obama should restore the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, which vanished during the Clinton years, and appoint a director who has both the president's ear and the authority to rebuild the consumer protection agencies that were undercut or hollowed out by the fiercely anti-regulatory Bush administration.

There is no shortage of agencies ostensibly designed to protect consumers. But without an emergency like killer spinach or lead in children's toys, the Bush administration has mostly failed to hear customers' complaints. The consumer safety net is simply far too weak.

The Food and Drug Administration has suffered cutbacks in expert personnel, and still relies too heavily on industry to police itself. Credit-card holders who have been subject to all kinds of Dickensian tricks and traps were finally told by the Federal Reserve that relief is in sight--in 2011. Not so long ago, there was only one official toy tester at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and oversight generally was so weak that Congress was forced to step in with new protections, which still could be strengthened.

It will be up to the Obama administration to bring these agencies back to life. In part this means restoring the morale of government workers who have too often been stymied by the anti-regulators at the top. It will also mean stronger consumer protection policies and hiring more skilled people. It will mean giving one official responsibility for coordinating the entire apparatus.

Presidents Johnson and Carter both recognized the need for a strong person to do that job. Both chose Esther Peterson, who during about eight years in office pushed for then-radical ideas like nutritional labeling on food and truth in advertising. As the Reagan anti-government era began, the consumer protection job steadily lost clout until it was shuttered in the late 1990s.

During his campaign, Mr. Obama promised consumers that he would help them get a fairer deal. As the victims of lead toys and predatory lenders can attest, they certainly need one. Restoring the Office of Consumer Affairs and appointing a director as strong and capable as Mrs. Peterson would be an encouraging first step.

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