[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 18 (Thursday, January 29, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1051-S1052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS

 Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I welcome this opportunity to 
support consumer advocates across the country in encouraging the new 
administration to restore the White House Office of Consumer Affairs. 
For the past 8 years, the safety and rights of consumers have taken a 
back seat to special interests. We are all aware of troubling reports 
about unsafe toys for our children, unsafe household products for our 
families, and even unsafe food.

[[Page S1052]]

  With a new administration focused on bringing needed change to the 
Nation, a new focus on consumer safety should be part of this change. 
During the Clinton administration, consumers had an effective advocate 
with a long record of commitment to protection in Ann Brown, chairman 
of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. But staff cutbacks in 
the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety 
Commission have further undermined effective efforts to protect 
consumers. Bipartisan legislation has attempted to address these 
challenges, but more progress is needed.
  Now is the time for action. The new administration can go a long way 
in restoring the trust of Americans in the safety of the products they 
use by restoring the Office of Consumer Affairs to its rightful place 
in the White House. I urge the administration to do so, and I ask that 
the editorial from the January 4 New York Times may be printed in the 
Record.
  The editorial follows.

                [From the New York Times, Jan. 4, 2009]

                        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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