[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 25, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6291]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Peter Feldman

  Mr. President, I rise today to voice my strong support for the 
nomination of Peter Feldman to be a Commissioner at the Consumer 
Product Safety Commission.
  Peter has been an exceptional member of my staff throughout my time 
as chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee. 
Serving as senior counsel for consumer protection on the committee for 
over 7 years, Peter has been instrumental in drafting and negotiating 
bipartisan legislation and conducting meaningful oversight of Federal 
agencies related to consumer product safety, unfair and deceptive trade 
practices, and sports policy. Those who have had the privilege of 
working with Peter would attest to his well-earned reputation for 
building consensus and forming coalitions to improve consumer safety.
  Peter's work on significant consumer safety legislation began even 
before his tenure on my staff. As a staffer for former Senator Mike 
DeWine, for example, he worked directly on the Virginia Graeme Baker 
Pool and Spa Safety Act. More recently, on the Senate Commerce 
Committee, Peter led our work on numerous bipartisan legislative 
initiatives, including the Consumer Review Freedom Act, the Better 
Online Ticket Sales Act, and the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention 
Act.
  Peter is very well qualified to serve as a Commissioner on the CPSC 
and enjoys the support of a wide range of stakeholder groups, including 
safety advocates who describe him as ``a professional, thoughtful, and 
committed public servant.'' Nevertheless, it is my understanding that 
some on the other side of the aisle are requiring us to hold multiple 
votes on his confirmation for reasons that have nothing to do with his 
qualifications. In a nutshell, Democrats have expressed no objection--
no objection--to Peter's qualifications to be a CPSC Commissioner. 
Instead, Democrats object to the fact that, in addition to being 
nominated to complete the remainder of a term expiring next year, 
President Trump has also nominated him to a full 7-year term on the 
CPSC.
  While Peter's situation is somewhat unique, it is not unprecedented. 
In fact, in 2005, the Senate confirmed former CPSC Commissioner Nancy 
Ann Nord to similar successive terms--a remainder term and a second 
full term--and the Senate did it by voice vote.
  What is unprecedented is the level of partisanship that CPSC nominees 
are facing in the current environment. In fact, since Congress 
established the CPSC in 1972, there have been only three rollcall votes 
to confirm CPSC Commissioners. One of those rollcall votes occurred 
this past May for Commissioner Dana Baiocco after Democrats delayed her 
confirmation for over 6 months. The other two were in 2014 and in 1976.
  Put another way, when we finish voting on Peter's confirmation, we 
will have doubled in a single year the amount of votes on CPSC 
Commissioners since Congress established the agency in 1972. That is 
how easy, in the past, it has been to confirm Commissioners to this 
agency.
  My hope is that we are not yet done confirming CPSC nominees. I am 
hoping that soon the Senate will turn to the nomination of Acting CPSC 
Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. The Commerce Committee held a hearing on 
Acting Chairman Buerkle's confirmation almost a year ago; nevertheless, 
Democrats still haven't allowed a vote on her confirmation. While she 
continues to lead the agency in an acting capacity, the CPSC deserves a 
Senate-confirmed leader, and we are committed to confirming her 
nomination as soon as possible.
  Let me be clear. I expect and appreciate that more Democrats will 
likely vote for Peter Feldman's initial term at the CPSC. I expect that 
we are going to have Democrats here--many Democrats, I hope--who will 
vote for that initial term. Peter's history of bipartisanship, depth of 
experience, and mastery of the critical consumer safety issues before 
the agency will undoubtedly benefit the agency greatly and more than 
merit such support from both sides of the aisle. Peter's confirmation 
will also ensure that the CPSC has its full complement of Commissioners 
to execute its important safety mission. Nevertheless, I find it deeply 
regrettable that a well-qualified nominee like Peter will face 
objections from some who have expressed no substantive concerns about 
his qualifications to be a CPSC Commissioner.
  It is my hope that the Senate will soon return to its tradition of 
bipartisanship in the confirmation of nominees to critical independent 
safety agencies such as the CPSC.
  I urge my colleagues to support Peter Feldman's confirmation for both 
the remainder of the existing term and for the full term to which he 
has been nominated.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, all time has 
expired.

                          ____________________