Senator Sherrod Brown

WASHINGTON, DC— As the Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Nancy Nord declined more responsibility for product safety last week, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today called for her resignation. Citing a letter to the Commerce Committee on reauthorization legislation, Brown said her policies do not make sense for Main Street. Brown specifically criticized Nord’s efforts to prevent greater disclosure to the public of product safety concerns. In addition, Brown blasted Nord’s decree that CPCS cannot handle administering whistleblower lawsuits and her resistance for an increase funding and resources for the department.

Brown released the following statement, calling for Nord’s resignation:

“One thing I’m sure of: it’s time for Nancy Nord to step aside. She’s the acting chairperson, but unfortunately we’ve seen a lot more inaction than action. It’s time to put a Chairperson in place who is not satisfied with ‘we’re doing the best we can.’ We need a chairperson who fights for the authority and resources the CPSC needs to do the job it is supposed to do.

“Ms. Nord’s response to the wave of product recalls has been underwhelming. She is fighting efforts to make more information available to the public about product hazards; She is opposing protections for whistleblowers who identify shoddy products, even if it is not her agency, but the Department of Labor, that has lead responsibility for addressing whistleblower complaints’.

“And most importantly, in the face of recall after recall after recall, Ms. Nord has offered no plan that would adequately equip the CPSC to do its job. She spends most of her time trying to make sure her agency isn’t scrutinized or held accountable for shortcomings in product safety oversight. We need a product safety chairperson who understands their job is to protect consumers, not corporations.”