- 5/14/2025
Senate Democrats hold a press briefing to decry the ending of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
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NewsTranscript
00:00The United States has illegally, illegally fired members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
00:09It is cruel, it's dumb, and it's unlawful.
00:15And I know personally for literally decades about the work of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
00:23because I worked with them as Attorney General of the State of Connecticut
00:27and now as a United States Senator for at least three decades.
00:35And this agency literally has saved lives.
00:40So have the consumer advocates who are behind me.
00:44All of the organizations that are represented here today,
00:47I want to thank them for keeping the flame alive of consumer protection
00:53in a very, very difficult and challenging time.
01:00You may never have heard of the Consumer Product Safety Commission,
01:04but it literally has taken harmful products out of your home,
01:10destructive products away from your children before they cause injury or death,
01:14and saved lives in your family and others.
01:21The CPSC has dealt with tip-over furniture,
01:26rock and play, Fisher-Price contraptions,
01:32pelotons, water beads, small magnets.
01:35The list is pretty much endless, and so are the lives that have been saved.
01:42Now, each of these products may not kill thousands of people,
01:47but together they represent thousands of lives saved and injuries prevented,
01:54and that's what the President is about to forestall.
01:59The reason these commissioners have been fired is pretty straightforward.
02:05They objected to dismantling the CPSC.
02:08These firings are totally political.
02:11These commissioners objected to the President destroying an agency that saves lives.
02:19You may think that's an exaggeration,
02:22but it's the straightforward, simple truth.
02:24The Consumer Product Safety Commission exists under law,
02:30and the commissioners cannot be fired unless they commit malfeasance or corruption,
02:40and there's been no allegation that they did either.
02:43This firing of three commissioners is simply to destroy the agency,
02:50and it violates the law.
02:51I'm not going to speak at length because we have a fairly lengthy group of speakers,
02:58including the three commissioners,
03:01and they are going to come up one by one.
03:05First, Alexander Hone-Sarek.
03:09Then we're going to turn to Amy Klobuchar and Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
03:14Then Richard Trumka, also a commissioner.
03:18I'm hoping that we'll be joined by my colleague Chris Van Hollen,
03:22and then Mary Boyle, who is also a CPSC commissioner.
03:28But we have here, as well, I just want to tell all of you,
03:34some of the advocates who have actually been involved firsthand.
03:41For example, Ashley and Kipley Haugen,
03:45who are familiar firsthand with the water bead products that literally cause deaths.
03:53I want to introduce now Alexander Hone-Sarek.
04:03Good to see you, Commissioner.
04:07Thank you, Senator Blumenthal.
04:09I appreciate the support that you, Senator Klobuchar,
04:13Representative Wasserman-Schultz,
04:14and so many members of Congress have shown to the CPSC over many years.
04:20You know, I'd really prefer not to be here today.
04:24I'd prefer to be at the CPSC listening to around 20 members of the public
04:30talking to us at what was supposed to be a priority hearing today.
04:34But instead, we're here discussing the illegal firing of myself and my colleagues,
04:39the beleaguered state of the CPSC,
04:42and the potential dismantling by DOGE.
04:46Going into this year of CPSC, and let's step back for a second,
04:49CPSC has a completely nonpartisan mission.
04:53Our job is to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death,
04:58like the one the Senator Blumenthal described.
05:01And that's it.
05:02That's what we're here to do.
05:05Going into this year, the CPSC was strong.
05:07We had assessed a record amount of civil penalties against companies
05:12that violated product safety laws.
05:14We had removed a record number of products from online marketplaces
05:18that violated the laws.
05:20We had issued a record number of grants to entities to improve pool safety
05:25and to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
05:30And we were rapidly advancing critical product safety rules.
05:35One such rule is actually to establish safety standards for the water beads
05:40that both Ashley and Kipley would talk about later and Senator Blumenthal mentioned.
05:44And these are tiny little beads that small kids are too often swallowing.
05:49They expand about 100 times their size and cause internal blockages and even death.
05:57But if the CPSC was working right, we would have that rule in place today.
06:03But for the last several months, the agency has been really spinning its wheels,
06:08trying to respond to executive orders and White House directives
06:11that had best wasted the agency's time and at worst undermined the agency's mission.
06:16Hiring for the use was left in place at CPSC.
06:20So we're without a head of compliance, without a chief financial officer,
06:26and without a grants officer to be able to advance the grant programs
06:30at Senator Klobuchar, Rep. Wasserman Schulf, worked so hard to establish.
06:36And despite knowing how understaffed the CPSC is,
06:38the administration is pushing to cut even more jobs.
06:42Not for efficiency, but really to hit a head count
06:46that the White House has been pushing for.
06:49These cuts, let me be clear, will harm American people.
06:52They're going to result in more trips to the emergency room
06:55and ultimately more deaths.
06:58So with the arrival of Doge, the threat of moving the CPSC over to HHS
07:03and the legal removal of myself and my colleagues,
07:06I really fear for the CPSC's future.
07:10I fear that more staff are going to be fired
07:12and new safety standards for water beads, for lithium-ion batteries,
07:16for inclined infant seeding products will never be established.
07:21The personally sensitive information the CPSC collects in its investigations
07:26will be in the hands of Doge operatives
07:29who have no understanding of the related risks.
07:32The products that should be recalled may not be recalled
07:36because the companies may be favored by the administration
07:39and that the remains of the CPSC will be buried inside HHS
07:44and not able to protect the American public
07:46like it has done for over 50 years.
07:49I'm grateful to the advocates and the lawmakers
07:52who continue to fight for the CPSC.
07:55And with your support, I hope to be back at my desk doing my job
07:59bringing the agency back to where it should be.
08:01So thank you all.
08:04Thanks a lot.
08:07Senator Klobuchar.
08:08All right.
08:09Very good.
08:10I'm just listening to the commissioner
08:11and getting angrier and angrier as I do that.
08:14And I think if we look for anything we can agree on in this Capitol,
08:18and we have in the past on a bipartisan basis,
08:21is that we don't want kids, toddlers dying
08:25because an unstable piece of furniture falls on top of them
08:30with unknowing parents,
08:31that we don't want kids getting their intestines ripped out
08:35in a swimming pool,
08:37that we don't want kids ingesting toys with lead.
08:40When I think about the CPSC, I start with that
08:43because that was when I arrived as a senator.
08:47We had a case of a four-year-old that got,
08:50mom had got a pair of Reebok tennis shoes,
08:53and there was a charm, a free charm included.
08:55The kid swallowed it, and he didn't die by choking.
09:00He died because slowly but surely over a period of days,
09:04the lead in that charm stepped into his system,
09:08and he died of lead poisoning.
09:09The charm was from another country.
09:11We passed then the most sweeping consumer legislation
09:16on a bipartisan basis,
09:17and I carried the provisions about the lead and the toys.
09:20It was one of my first things I ever got done.
09:23And then where did it go to be enforced?
09:25The CPSC.
09:26It can't go to some major agency that's already there
09:30that isn't going to have the people on the ground
09:32that understand these consumer issues
09:35and are able to enforce the laws and put out the rules.
09:38We literally will be cutting off our ability
09:41to protect kids from choking on or dying from lead toys.
09:47Other examples.
09:48We have got the swimming pool bill
09:50that Representative Wasserman Schultz and I led.
09:54In my case, again, came out of a little girl
09:56that was at a swimming pool, a public pool.
10:00She was at a swimming pool.
10:02She sat on the drain, little Abby Honnold,
10:05and her intestines were ripped out in that drain.
10:08She lived for a year.
10:09She had 15 different surgeries.
10:12And I met her in the hospital room with this big smile.
10:15And she said, I don't want this to happen to anyone else.
10:19From there, Abby's Hope was launched.
10:21See the shirt?
10:23And we were able to pass this bill
10:26and Representative will show you the pool drains.
10:29CPSC enforced it.
10:31And actually, one of my best moments ever,
10:33people say, oh, what are you glad you...
10:34My best moment ever was when we were able to get that bill
10:38on another bill with some skill from Harry Reid
10:41and some Republican help from Ted Stevens.
10:45And we were able to get that bill done.
10:47And I got to call Abby's mom and dad after she died
10:51and tell them this passed.
10:53Then the other moment was when the CPSC testified
10:56that, in fact, there'd been no deaths
10:58from the swimming pool drains.
10:59There'd been a handful every single day, every single year.
11:02There would have been no deaths after that rule was put in place.
11:07True story.
11:08Other examples.
11:10The dressers, something we worked on with Senator Casey and others.
11:14And we finally had the biggest furniture recall
11:16in the history of America.
11:17That was something that was negotiated by the CPSC.
11:22The list goes on and on and on.
11:24So we need the people in place and the commissioners in place
11:29to do the work, to get the recalls, to take the corrective actions,
11:34to make sure the products entering our markets are safe.
11:38We need it more than ever.
11:40So I ask the administration to reverse this hurtful, hurtful move.
11:45And I know that it is wrong legally,
11:48but this was just plain short-sighted
11:50to get rid of these incredible public servants.
11:53And we're going to fight to the end
11:54because the one thing we should agree on
11:57is that kids shouldn't be dying from swimming pools
12:00or dangerous toys.
12:03So thank you very much, Senator Blumenthal,
12:05for putting this together.
12:06Thank you for the commissioners.
12:07I'm sure seeing your life's work be disrespected
12:11in the way that it has is hard,
12:12but I'm glad you're here today to stand up.
12:16Thanks, Senator Klobuchar.
12:17Thank you so much.
12:19Representative Wasserman Schultz.
12:21Thank you very much, Senator.
12:23It is actions like the unlawful removal
12:27of the three Democratic, large D,
12:31Democratic commissioners
12:32from the Consumer Product Safety Commission
12:34that are the reason that representation matters.
12:38because I have spent my entire legislative career
12:43with children's safety
12:45at or near the top of my legislative agenda.
12:50Senator Klobuchar and Senator Blumenthal
12:52are often my counterparts
12:54on so many different efforts
12:56to make sure that we can keep children
12:59and adults safe.
13:02because the reality is
13:05is that in many, many instances,
13:09children are not able to ensure
13:11that they can be kept safe.
13:14Yes, parental vigilance,
13:16supervisory vigilance is incredibly important.
13:20We all know that that's a component of safety.
13:23But so many times
13:25because of corporate negligence
13:28or human negligence
13:30and a variety of other reasons,
13:32people have harm come to them,
13:36children, adults,
13:37as a result of there not being an obstacle
13:41in their path
13:42and the law to ensure their protection
13:46so that those harms can be removed.
13:49That is what the Consumer Product Safety Commission's job is,
13:53to be the second line of defense
13:58so that we can ensure
13:59that we have laws and grant programs
14:02and funding and enforcement
14:04to protect people who need that protection
14:08when other safety measures lapse
14:11and when you have corporations
14:12that negligently manufacture products
14:15that are causing harm
14:17and in so many cases
14:18refuse to actually change them.
14:21This is the old drain cover,
14:26the flat drain cover in nearly all pools
14:30for all the years that pools existed
14:33prior to 2007
14:34when the Virginia Graham Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act
14:37became law.
14:38Because of this drain cover being flat
14:41and the suction coming from the pumps
14:45for swimming pools being so strong
14:49that when a small adult or a child
14:53would either sit down on it like Abigail did
14:58or in some cases the suction drew in a young child
15:02and grabbed their hair or their arm or their buttocks
15:06and they were unable to get themselves off
15:10and Virginia Graham Baker, Graham Baker died in a spa.
15:15The law is named after Graham Baker
15:17because she died in a spa
15:19in her family's backyard
15:21during a graduation party
15:23when there were dozens of people
15:26right there around the pool.
15:29But she was silently attached to the spa drain
15:33because it was a flat drain
15:35that was a dangerous product
15:38that needed to be removed from the market.
15:41Lo and behold,
15:42the safe drain cover became available.
15:46Pool manufacturers were refusing to make the switch.
15:51The process was very slow.
15:53The Virginia Graham Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act
15:55required all public pools
15:57and gave them a year
15:58to come into compliance
16:00enforced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission
16:03so that when we switched all public pools
16:06to the safe drain cover
16:07which has a rise to it
16:10and isn't that expensive.
16:11Right?
16:12It cuts the suction
16:13I mean if it costs $75
16:15it would be a lot.
16:17And since 2007
16:19that one year time span
16:20as the Senator said
16:22we have had no confirmed suction drain entrapment deaths
16:26and we had 9 or 10 every single year
16:28and I'm talking Grand Baker
16:29had like 5 adult men
16:32trying to pull her off the suction drain
16:35and they couldn't.
16:36So there are countless examples
16:38like the one that Amy mentioned with the beads
16:40that these commissioners
16:43all 5 of them frankly
16:45in a bipartisan way
16:46are on the front lines every single day
16:48making sure that needless deaths don't happen.
16:52And the thing about public safety
16:53my friends
16:54is that we will never really know
16:57who didn't die
16:58who wasn't horrifically injured
17:00as a result of the work that they do
17:02pulling products off the market
17:03we have examples
17:05when complaints are filed
17:07and then they swoop in
17:09and they do the necessary work
17:10to make sure
17:11that we can keep people safe
17:12when they can't do that themselves.
17:15Layered on top of this
17:16very disturbing situation
17:18is that
17:18these were individual public servants
17:20who were fired
17:21completely unlawfully
17:23the CPSC is an independent commission
17:26it is bipartisan
17:27I can tell you
17:28all the years
17:30that we have worked
17:31with the commissioners
17:31when there's a Republican in charge
17:33or a Democrat in charge
17:35it hasn't mattered at all
17:36the same vigilance
17:37the same work
17:38these are people committed
17:39to keeping people safe
17:41and it's never mattered
17:42what party they were
17:43what matters
17:44is that they had the independence
17:45both from politics
17:48and from corporate pressure
17:50because believe me
17:51these corporations
17:51would prefer
17:52not to recall their products
17:54and go to the expense
17:55of making them safe
17:56so we will be absolutely certain
17:59that if they end
18:01the Consumer Product Safety Commission
18:02as we know it
18:03and these commissioners
18:04are not restored to their jobs
18:05and I have a feeling
18:06that they ultimately will be
18:07then you move it into HHS
18:10and guaranteed
18:11we will see more
18:13needless deaths and injuries
18:15and that will be on
18:17Donald Trump's head
18:18so I hope our colleagues
18:20come together to join us
18:21in making sure
18:22that we can restore
18:23some sanity
18:24and some safety
18:25because it is
18:27at a minimum
18:28what is sorely needed
18:29right now in Washington D.C.
18:31thank you so much
18:32thank you so much
18:33we're going to hear
18:34from Commissioner Trumka
18:36but let me just emphasize
18:37this point
18:38the reason that
18:39these commissioners
18:40were fired
18:41is that they had
18:41the temerity
18:42to stand up
18:43to big corporations
18:44that wanted
18:46the agency dismantled
18:48and Trump is
18:50taking a signal
18:52from corporations
18:54who think
18:55they think
18:57it's in their interest
18:58to put unsafe
18:59products on the market
19:01in fact
19:01the cost of making them safe
19:04is minuscule
19:06the cost of failing
19:08to make them safe
19:09is horrendous
19:10and these commissioners
19:12had the guts
19:14and the grit
19:14to stand up
19:15to those corporations
19:16and say
19:17we're going to keep
19:18unsafe products
19:20off the market
19:21and it shouldn't be
19:23partisan
19:24and it hasn't been
19:25partisan
19:26and that's why
19:27I'm proud to introduce
19:28Commissioner Trumka
19:29thank you to all
19:41the consumer champions
19:42who are standing
19:43shoulder to shoulder
19:44with us today
19:45and I have no doubt
19:47they're here
19:47because they all know
19:48the truth
19:49that an attack
19:50on the CPSC
19:51matters for every American
19:53any cuts to our agency
19:55would compromise
19:56safety in homes
19:57and schools
19:58across the country
19:59we're the agency
20:00that stops products
20:01from killing babies
20:02in their sleep
20:03we're the agency
20:04that stops your kids
20:05from getting lead poisoning
20:07and stops your older relatives
20:08from strangulation deaths
20:09we oversaw
20:12333 recalls
20:13last year covering over 150 million products
20:17as commissioners
20:18we've pushed hard
20:19we've pushed hard
20:20to protect your families
20:21as much as we protect our own
20:23and for that
20:24we were illegally fired
20:25fired right after we
20:28advanced a solution
20:29on the lithium ion battery problem
20:31that was burning down homes
20:32and killing people
20:33across the country
20:34fired the day after we went
20:36on record saying we wouldn't
20:37allow them to get rid of
20:38any of the hardworking
20:40public servants
20:40who work every day
20:41to keep us all safe
20:42and fired just minutes
20:44after we refused to allow
20:46Doge to invade our agency
20:48and gut it from within
20:49but I would take every one
20:51of those actions again
20:52because what matters to me
20:55is the mission
20:56and all of this serves
20:57keeping people safe
20:58our firings were illegal
21:00and we will right that wrong
21:02in court
21:02and we'll protect our independence
21:04the independence that's given us
21:06the freedom to go after
21:07powerful corporations
21:08in service of the American people
21:10corporations like Amazon
21:11and Tesla
21:12and when we win
21:14and we're put back into our jobs
21:17I can't wait to get back to that work
21:18because I want to follow through
21:20on our commitments
21:21that we've made
21:22to deliver safety rules
21:23for all of you this year
21:24rules to save 100 lives per year
21:27from carbon monoxide poisoning
21:29to save over 100 lives per year
21:31from toxic dusters
21:32to stop gruesome deaths
21:34of young children
21:35from corded window coverings
21:36button batteries and toys
21:38neck floats
21:40and water beats
21:41and to stop tens of thousands
21:44of amputations from table saws
21:45now today was supposed to be
21:47the most important day
21:48at our agency
21:49it's our annual appropriations hearing
21:51or at least it was supposed to be
21:53that's when any member of the public
21:55can come and tell us their stories
21:57often of heartbreaking loss
21:59they can tell us what problems they face
22:02and how they want us to solve it
22:04and traditionally that's what we've always done
22:06we've worked as hard as we possibly could
22:08to solve those problems
22:09but after our illegal firings
22:11the acting chair canceled today's priorities hearing
22:14denying consumers their opportunity to speak
22:16and it makes me question
22:19who's running that agency right now
22:21because that decision is not in the interest of safety
22:24and it conflicts with our agency's history
22:26and legacy
22:28and values of lifting up consumer voices
22:30thankfully some of those parent advocates are here today
22:33to share their stories
22:34and I stand ready to listen
22:36to learn
22:37and to find out how we can solve those together
22:39the mission continues
22:41thank you very much
22:41thank you
22:42thank you so much
22:43and we've been joined by our great colleague
22:48Chris Van Hollen
22:49thank you
22:50thank you
22:50and thank you Commissioner Trumka
22:53for your leadership
22:54and other members
22:55of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
22:59and I want to thank my colleagues
23:01starting with Senator Blumenthal
23:02and Senator Klobuchar
23:03and it's great to see you
23:05and Debbie Wasserman Schultz
23:09and I work together on the House
23:11on many issues
23:12thank you for your leadership on this
23:14I'm going to be brief
23:15I'm proud to represent the state of Maryland
23:19that is home
23:20to the Consumer Product Safety Commission
23:23both its headquarters
23:25as well as its testing facilities
23:27and the reason we're all here
23:29is to protect the integrity of the commission
23:33so that they can protect consumers
23:35throughout our country
23:37because when people buy products
23:40that are overseen
23:41by this commission
23:43they have an expectation
23:45that they will be safe
23:47and because of their work
23:49and I know my colleagues have emphasized this
23:52we have saved thousands and thousands of lives
23:55in the United States of America
23:57whether it's from fires
24:00where you've had such important work that's done
24:04to inspecting toys
24:07that come into the United States
24:08from overseas
24:09I think over 1 million toys were seized
24:13from China and other places
24:14because they were unsafe
24:15including about 100,000
24:17because they were contaminated with lead paint
24:20which poisons children
24:22so because of that good work
24:24on behalf of American consumers
24:26the commission
24:28has essentially drawn the ire
24:32of some very powerful corporations
24:34and powerful people
24:36and that's what's going on here
24:38those corporations
24:40and those powerful people
24:41don't want the commission
24:43to get in their way
24:45and they're prepared to put their own profits
24:48ahead of the safety
24:50of the American people
24:52you know
24:52Elon Musk's operation
24:54has nothing to do
24:55with making the government more efficient
24:57he's taken a chainsaw
24:59across the government
25:00to better rig the government
25:02for people like Elon Musk
25:04and a number of big corporations
25:06and that is exactly what they're doing
25:10when they're getting rid of something
25:11like the commission
25:12or claiming to reform it
25:15when we know they're taking a chainsaw to it
25:17so I just want to thank my colleagues
25:20thank you to the commissioners
25:21I saw Mr. Trumka
25:24you said we'll see you in court
25:25and we will fight them in the courts
25:28in the Congress
25:29and in communities all over the country
25:31on behalf of American consumers
25:35because we need to make sure
25:37the American people's safety
25:38is prioritized over profits
25:41now it's my honor
25:42to introduce another one of the commissioners
25:46she's been a senior CPSC official
25:50for over a decade
25:51before being appointed commissioner
25:53and led a lot of important consumer efforts
25:57before that
25:58before her stint at the commission
26:00she was helping lead the development
26:04of affordable housing
26:05in Aethersburg
26:05in the state of Maryland
26:06so if you could all please join me
26:09in welcoming and thanking
26:11Commissioner Mary Boyle
26:12thank you
26:16thank you so much
26:18thank you Senator Van Hollen
26:21for that introduction
26:23I also want to thank my colleagues
26:25Richard Trumka and Alan Hone Star
26:27Alex Hone Starick
26:28who you've heard their passion
26:29and I share their passion
26:31and I want to just emphasize
26:33in addition to everything they said
26:35which I agree with
26:36one point
26:37and that is
26:38that safety is not partisan
26:40I actually have been at the CPSC now
26:43for 15 years
26:44for 12 of those years
26:45I was a civil servant
26:46I have always been committed
26:49to safety as a nonpartisan issue
26:51and that has been the mantra
26:52of everyone at the agency
26:54and that has only changed
26:56since January
26:57where safety has become
26:59a partisan issue
27:00and that is not in the interest
27:01of the American people
27:02and so I intend with my colleagues
27:04to challenge this issue
27:06to challenge this law
27:07illegal termination
27:08because it is not in the interest
27:10of the American people
27:12and because safety
27:12should not be a partisan issue
27:14and now I actually have
27:16the biggest honor of the day
27:18and that is to introduce
27:19our next speaker
27:20and that is Ashley Haugen
27:22who is here with her daughter Kipley
27:24and she is why we are doing
27:26what we do at the CPSC
27:27we are here to protect consumers
27:29and it doesn't matter
27:31for fear or favor
27:32what a corporation has to say
27:35about what we do
27:36we are here to protect consumers
27:37like Ashley and her daughter
27:38and I would like to take this moment
27:40now to introduce them
27:41thank you
27:42thanks
27:43thanks Mary
27:44Ashley and Kipley
27:46if you would
27:47come forward
27:49thank you for coming
27:51thank you for having me
27:52alright
27:53I'm going to have to turn the brightness
28:09all the way up
28:10good afternoon
28:23my name is Ashley Haugen
28:25and I am here as a mother
28:27and someone who deeply believes
28:29in the mission of the
28:30Consumer Product Safety Commission
28:32I'm not here to talk about politics
28:35when you're holding your child
28:37after a life-threatening injury
28:38you're not thinking about
28:40who's in office
28:41you're filled with questions
28:43no parent should have to ask
28:45what now?
28:48why us?
28:49why is this toy
28:51still on the market?
28:53the Consumer Product Safety Commission
28:55was enacted
28:56by President Richard Nixon
28:59a Republican
29:00he understood that
29:02protecting American children
29:03from dangerous products
29:04isn't partisan
29:06it's patriotic
29:07even as Ronald Reagan
29:10led one of the most aggressive
29:12deregulation efforts
29:13in history
29:13he preserved
29:16the CPSC
29:17knowing that
29:18walking away
29:18from child safety
29:19would come at
29:20too high a cost
29:21losing the trust
29:23of the families
29:24central to his vision
29:26for America
29:27I'm here
29:29because my daughter Kipley
29:30along with thousands
29:31of other children
29:32across the country
29:33was injured by a product
29:35she was never allowed
29:36to play with
29:37and that never
29:38should have been delivered
29:39to our front door
29:40we want
29:42we all want
29:45less government waste
29:47but the CPSC
29:48isn't waste
29:49it's the firewall
29:51protecting American families
29:52from hazardous products
29:54flooding in from overseas
29:56it's border control
29:58for dangerous consumer products
30:00the real fraud
30:02the real waste
30:04would be to allow
30:05foreign shadow
30:07factory manufacturers
30:08to injure and kill
30:10American children
30:12without consequence
30:13while the system
30:14gets bogged down
30:15in bureaucracy
30:16and delay
30:17American families
30:19deserve more
30:21than promises
30:21they deserve action
30:23before Kipley got hurt
30:26I trusted our system
30:27I trusted that
30:28in addition to myself
30:29someone was vetting
30:31watching
30:32what I know
30:33is that
30:34the water beads
30:35were marketed
30:36as safe
30:37based on tests
30:38that didn't reflect reality
30:40the beads were tested
30:41one at a time
30:42in water
30:43they were not tested
30:44in milk
30:45or formula
30:46which is primarily
30:48what infants
30:48and young children
30:49in our country
30:50drink
30:51in milk
30:53these beads
30:54clump
30:55and bind together
30:56creating dangers
30:58dangers
30:58that tests
30:59never accounted for
31:01dangers
31:02that forever changed
31:03my child's life
31:05that's why
31:07we need eyes
31:08on problems
31:09like these
31:10because what
31:11looks like
31:12a harmless toy
31:13can destroy
31:15a family
31:16and its financial future
31:18after Kipley's injury
31:21I brought my family's story
31:22to the commission
31:23I've proudly advocated
31:26alongside both Democratic
31:28and Republican
31:29commissioners
31:30collaborating
31:31with investigative
31:32journalists
31:33and other courageous
31:34mothers
31:35we helped expose
31:36the hidden dangers
31:37of water beads
31:38earlier this year
31:40I took that evidence
31:42even further
31:43becoming the first
31:44parent advocate
31:45to co-author a case study
31:47in pediatrics
31:48one of the most respected
31:50and rigorous medical journals
31:51in the world
31:52protecting our children
31:54from hazardous products
31:55like water beads
31:56isn't a Republican issue
31:58or a Democrat issue
32:00it's a moral obligation
32:02we all share
32:03as Americans
32:05Kipley should be
32:08in school right now
32:09reading
32:10in the library
32:12laughing with friends
32:13at recess
32:14just being a kid
32:17but instead
32:18she's here
32:19using her voice
32:21to protect other children
32:22from the pain
32:23she lived through
32:25she's not
32:26just asking us
32:28to do better
32:29she's showing us
32:31how
32:31and why
32:32make
32:34consumer
32:35safety
32:36American
32:37again
32:38not outsourced
32:40not ignored
32:41it is now
32:44my honor
32:44and my heart's
32:45greatest pride
32:46to introduce you
32:48to the bravest
32:49person
32:49I have ever known
32:51my daughter
32:52Kipley Haugen
32:53okay
32:56thank you
33:02why don't we
33:02move these down
33:03we're gonna
33:04make you
33:05you don't mind
33:08moving to the side
33:09for her
33:09cause she's gonna
33:10point to
33:10your picture
33:11hello
33:16my name is
33:17Kipley Haugen
33:18and I'm
33:198 years old
33:20I had worked
33:21so hard
33:22in therapy
33:23so I could
33:25come here today
33:26and share my story
33:28when I was a baby
33:29I was hurt
33:30and poisoned
33:31by water beads
33:32I had emergency
33:33surgery
33:34because
33:34the water beads
33:36got stuck
33:36inside of my tummy
33:38they left me
33:39a scar
33:40on my belly
33:41and
33:42the water beads
33:43hurt in my brain
33:44water beads
33:45are not toys
33:46you see
33:47you
33:48you
33:50see
33:51this jar
33:52imagine
33:53it's my stomach
33:54water beads
33:58can clump
33:58together in milk
33:59if they can
34:00clump in milk
34:01they can
34:02clump in kids
34:03companies
34:04say
34:05the beads
34:07were safe
34:08but that was a lie
34:09they hurt in me
34:10sometimes
34:11people
34:11don't understand
34:13me
34:13when I talk
34:14and sometimes
34:15I forget things
34:17the words
34:17get lost
34:18I have to take
34:20medicine
34:20every night
34:21so I could
34:22I can
34:24sleep
34:25and
34:26so my body
34:27doesn't shake
34:28sometimes
34:29I feel angry
34:30and frustrated
34:31sometimes
34:32I get really sad
34:34but I keep
34:35smiling
34:35praying
34:36and using
34:37my voice
34:38my dream
34:39is simple
34:39that all kids
34:40can grow up
34:41safe
34:41from water bead
34:43toys
34:44no more
34:45injuries
34:45no more
34:46surgeries
34:47no more
34:47losses
34:48like Esther
34:49I'm here
34:50today
34:52because I know
34:53we can fix this
34:54I know
34:55you can help me
34:56I believe
34:57in you
34:57President
34:58Donald Trump
34:59Chair
35:00Feldman
35:01please
35:05please
35:05help
35:06us
35:07please
35:08help me
35:09protect kids
35:10from water beads
35:11I'm counting on you
35:12thank you
35:13that was wonderful
35:16that was great
35:18how old were you
35:19Kipley
35:20how old were you
35:21when this happened
35:22to you
35:22I think I was one
35:25when this happened
35:26to me
35:26one year
35:26and you're eight years
35:27now
35:28eight years old
35:29now
35:29that's great
35:30well thank you so much
35:31for being here
35:32we are so grateful
35:33to you
35:34for giving
35:35your face
35:37and voice
35:37to this cause
35:38and you can certainly
35:39count on us
35:41thank you to your mom
35:42for giving you
35:44permission to take
35:45a day away from school
35:46to educate us
35:49you are teaching us
35:51this is a great lesson
35:53and just so everybody
35:54understands
35:55these water beads
35:56are colorful
35:58they're attractive
36:01to kids
36:01they look like
36:03food
36:04we all know
36:04kids
36:05put stuff
36:06in their mouths
36:07the default
36:09for kids
36:10is to put it
36:11in your mouth
36:11especially at
36:13one year old
36:13and
36:15there are
36:17countless other kids
36:18who had
36:19exactly the same
36:20thing
36:20happen to them
36:22but
36:23the people
36:23who make
36:24the water beads
36:25Kipley
36:26left this product
36:27on the market
36:28even though it
36:29knew
36:31that they were
36:32hurting kids
36:33it took
36:34the consumer advocates
36:36and you
36:37the
36:39one who suffered
36:41the harm
36:41to make
36:43people
36:44more aware
36:45of what the dangers
36:46are
36:46so you have done
36:47a lot to help
36:48people
36:48and we are very grateful
36:50to you
36:51for being here today
36:52so we're happy
36:57to take any questions
36:58especially if they're
36:59directed to Kipley
37:00there's a question
37:04over here
37:05Senator
37:05yeah
37:05and can you say
37:07what
37:07you're with
37:08please
37:08the White House
37:11has made it very clear
37:12that these firings
37:13are within
37:14the realm
37:15of executive power
37:17and they also
37:18make it clear
37:19that they don't
37:19really plan on
37:20reneging
37:20any of these firings
37:21Senator Van Hollen
37:22you talked about
37:23the fight
37:23on Capitol Hill
37:24to reinstate
37:25these jobs
37:26what does that fight
37:27look like?
37:28well the fight
37:29looks like
37:29first of all
37:30we'll see you in court
37:31because
37:33they've made it
37:35very clear
37:36that they are wrong
37:38they've invoked
37:40a principle
37:41that somehow
37:42there's this
37:42unitary control
37:44but in fact
37:45this agency
37:46is independent
37:47it is explicitly
37:49and specifically
37:50separate
37:52from the president
37:53he has no power
37:54to do what he's doing
37:55he can make it
37:57perfectly clear
37:58but the courts
37:59will make it
38:00perfectly clear
38:00when they reinstate
38:02these commissioners
38:03after their
38:05court fight
38:05as courts
38:07have done
38:08with other employees
38:09just because
38:11the president
38:11says it's legal
38:12doesn't make it so
38:13and so that's
38:15what resistance
38:17looks like
38:17number one
38:18and number two
38:19I'm hoping
38:21that actually
38:21some of our colleagues
38:22will begin to have
38:23some spine
38:24and backbone
38:25and that
38:27kids like Kipley
38:28and countless others
38:30across the country
38:31will convince them
38:32that you know
38:33consumers are not
38:34on their side
38:34the American people
38:35are not on their side
38:36and they will
38:39say to the president
38:41and say to each other
38:43we have to put a stop
38:45to this lawlessness
38:45it is dumb
38:47it is cruel
38:48it is lawless
38:50it's inexplicable
38:51what they're doing
38:52and these are
38:53independent
38:54decision makers
38:55by law
38:56and the fact that
38:59I know you call them jobs
39:00they are jobs
39:01that's true
39:01but these are actually
39:03decision makers
39:04that were put in charge
39:05of an independent agency
39:06so I believe
39:07they're going to
39:08prevail in court
39:09but in the meantime
39:10we don't have
39:11the people in place
39:12anymore
39:13as you heard
39:14the day they missed today
39:15to make sure
39:16that these
39:17unsaved products
39:18are out of our stores
39:20and off our shores
39:21and I don't think
39:22there is a better messenger
39:23than Ashley and Kipley
39:25on this
39:25because these
39:27have long been
39:28a bipartisan issue
39:29starting with Richard Nixon
39:31that we don't want
39:32these unsaved products
39:33and if they're not
39:34willing to stand up
39:35to that
39:35our colleagues
39:37the Republicans
39:38who are now
39:38at least starting
39:39to say maybe
39:40they shouldn't be able
39:41to install
39:42the librarian of Congress
39:44we agree with that
39:45now they better
39:46step in and say
39:47hey maybe we should
39:49have watchdogs
39:50on the watch
39:51looking out
39:52for these unsafe products
39:53so they have to
39:55stop rubber stamping
39:55everything he does
39:56I want to just add
39:58Congress writes laws
40:00there are laws
40:02that we've written
40:03that include appointments
40:05that the president
40:06makes nominations
40:07and the agency
40:10or the division
40:11of an agency
40:12isn't independent
40:13of the executive branch
40:15when we write a law
40:16like the one
40:17that created
40:18the Consumer Product
40:18Safety Commission
40:19that says that
40:20it's independent
40:21that says that
40:22the only reason
40:23that a commissioner
40:24could be fired
40:25is for misfeasance
40:28malfeasance
40:28for direct acts
40:31and that that's
40:33the exclusive reason
40:34that they're able
40:34to do that
40:35which has not occurred here
40:37then they are
40:39taking an unlawful action
40:40so that's how
40:41we feel like
40:42we'll have a court decision
40:43that will come down
40:44on our side
40:45but again
40:46more importantly
40:46the CPSC administers
40:48the grant program
40:50that has
40:50for this past fiscal year
40:52two and a half million dollars
40:54in pool safety grants
40:56that are distributed
40:57across the country
40:57applied for
40:58and right now
41:00the former commissioner
41:02the former chairman
41:03said that
41:05because of the staff firings
41:07they're not even able
41:08to administer
41:08and get those funds out
41:09and that means
41:11that there are
41:11more children
41:12who will drown
41:13in swimming pools
41:14as a result of not having
41:16that funding out there
41:17to keep kids safe
41:18it's outrageous
41:19I know that you all have a saying
41:24it's nonpartisan
41:26and historically
41:27it has been nonpartisan
41:28but when you hear
41:30someone like Peter Feldman
41:32the acting chairman
41:33say Democrats are upset
41:34that they're trying to
41:35find efficiency
41:36within the agency
41:37which they claim
41:38has been inefficient
41:40he also went on to say
41:42that under Trump
41:43they're outpacing
41:44the record set
41:45and they're trying
41:47to get rid of resources
41:48from DPI
41:49to actually do what
41:51the Consumer Product Safety Commission
41:53is supposed to do
41:54when you hear words like that
41:56what are your goals?
41:58my thoughts are
42:00listen to Kipley
42:01you know
42:03don't believe us
42:05talk to people
42:06whose lives have been saved
42:07as well as parents
42:10who have lost children
42:11because of unsafe products
42:13and listen to families
42:16who are saying
42:18the CPSC has saved lives
42:21pediatric poisonings
42:22are down 80%
42:24crib fatalities
42:27are down 80%
42:28home fires
42:31down 40%
42:32there are numbers
42:34that prove
42:35how effective
42:36this agency has been
42:37and how cost effective
42:39it is
42:40so don't tell me
42:41you're saving waste
42:43you're laying waste
42:45to safety
42:46and families
42:47and it has been bipartisan
42:50for a reason
42:50that saving kids' lives
42:53really isn't about
42:55blue or red
42:57it's about
42:58the kids
42:59you know
43:00I know
43:01President Trump
43:02likes to take credit
43:03for everything good
43:04that happens
43:05and blame Biden
43:06for
43:07and Democrats
43:08for everything bad
43:09that happens
43:09he has absolutely
43:10nothing to do
43:11with the success
43:12of this agency
43:12it's an independent agency
43:14it operates
43:15it operates separate
43:16from the executive branch
43:18he does not control
43:20its actions
43:21which is why
43:22he's taken
43:22the unlawful actions
43:24that he did
43:24you have
43:25when
43:26you have three Democrats
43:28and two Republicans
43:29that reverses
43:31over time
43:32as the terms expire
43:33when there's a different party
43:34in the White House
43:36and the activity
43:37and actions
43:38that the Consumer Product Safety Commission
43:40has taken
43:41since January 20th
43:43have been the same ones
43:44that they were working on
43:46prior to this president
43:47being in office
43:48so he gets no credit
43:50for the progress
43:50that he's made
43:51what he's doing
43:52is he's actually stepping in
43:54and trying to dismantle
43:55this agency
43:56because he's stooging
43:58for corporations
43:59that don't want to spend
44:01the money
44:01to keep kids
44:02and people safe
44:03that's what the bottom line is
44:05thank you
44:06thank you so much
44:07thanks everyone
44:08thank you
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