Letter to The Honorable Donald J. Trump, President, The White House (May 22, 2025)

Summary

The House Committee on Small Business, in a letter dated May 22, 2025, to President Trump, applauds the termination of Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Commissioner Richard Trumka, Jr. The letter says the Committee has evidence that actions taken by Commissioner Trumka constitute an egregious abuse of the position, and that Commissioner Trumka pushed for unnecessary and overburdensome regulations after the 2021 appointment by President Biden. It says the Committee's investigation found that Commissioner Trumka reached out to major retailers requesting they remove products although other CPSC Commissioners declined to find a sufficient factual basis. The signature block names Roger Williams, Chairman, House Committee on Small Business, with a copy to Nydia M. Velázquez, Ranking Member.

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Full text

                                               May 22, 2025

The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

        The House Committee on Small Business (Committee) writes to applaud your termination
of Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Commissioner Richard Trumka, Jr. The
Committee has evidence that actions taken by Commissioner Trumka constitute an egregious
abuse of his position.1 Since his appointment by President Biden in 2021, Commissioner Trumka
has pushed for unnecessary and overburdensome regulations that harm small businesses. In
addition, Commissioner Trumka often took action prior to CPSC rules becoming final, stating “we
do not have to wait for a federal rule” to act against businesses and products he believed harmful.2
Commissioner Trumka has created a harmful environment for small businesses nationwide
through his unilateral and unsupported actions.

        As Commissioner Trumka argued in a May 9, 2025 letter posted on X, he believes he has
done nothing to warrant termination.3 However, on July 25, 2024, I wrote to former CPSC
Chairman Hoehn-Saric regarding the Committee’s investigation into Commissioner Trumka’s
unilateral actions that threatened the ability of some small businesses to continue operating and
likely violated the Consumer Product Safety Act.4 Through the course of the Committee’s
investigation, the Committee found that Commissioner Trumka reached out to major retailers
requesting they remove products, despite the fact that other CPSC Commissioners declined to find




1
  Letter from Roger Williams, Chairman, H. Comm. on Small Bus. to Alexander Hoehn-Saric, Chairman, Consumer
Product Safety Comm’n (Jul. 25, 2025).
2
  Public Statement from Commissioner Richard L. Trumka, Jr., Consumer Product Safety Comm’n, Beware:
Weighted Infant Swaddles and Blankets Are Unsafe for Sleep; Retailers Should Consider Stopping Sales (Apr. 15,
2024).
3
  Richard L. Trumka Jr., Consumer Product Safety Comm’n, Statement of Commissioner Rich Trumka Jr. (May 9,
2025).
4
  Letter from Roger Williams, Chairman, H. Comm. on Small Bus. to Alexander Hoehn-Saric, Chairman, Consumer
Product Safety Comm’n (Jul. 25, 2025).
President Donald J. Trump
May 22, 2025
Page 2 of 2


a sufficient factual basis to justify such removal.5 But for his termination, Commissioner Trumka
likely would have continued exerting pressure on small businesses and coercing retailers to
improperly remove their products from shelves.

         Small businesses deserve a chance to fairly compete in the marketplace without undue
influence from the federal government. For that reason, I applaud the immediate removal of
Commissioner Trumka. I appreciate the Administration’s commitment to supporting small
businesses and maintaining a fair and equitable marketplace. Thank you for your attention to this
critical matter.

                                       In God We Trust,



                               _________________________
                                     Roger Williams
                                        Chairman
                             House Committee on Small Business

cc:       The Honorable Nydia M. Velázquez, Ranking Member




5
    Id.


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