|
Monday June 22, 2020
Beck Nominations Endangered by Moore Capito and Collins OppositionNancy Beck's CPSC nominations were put in question June 17. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) announced (bit.ly/2BlZwR2) opposition related to Beck's record on Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The senator is on the Commerce Committee, which considered the nominations June 16. Republicans hold a 14-12 majority, and Democratic members seemed fiercely opposed.
Meanwhile, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also issued a statement of opposition, including related to PFAS. Collins is not on the committee but said her floor vote would be negative.
Committee member Tom Udall (D-N.M.) then urged the White House to withdraw the nominations (bit.ly/3delnHw). Absent withdrawal, a committee vote would not occur before mid-July. The hearing record is open until June 30 for Senators' questions and to July 14 for nominees' answers.
Beck's prepared statement for the hearing listed three priorities if the Senate confirms her. One echoes the goals and statements of current Republican commissioners, especially Peter Feldman. She wrote (bit.ly/2YIncae): "CSPC programs must be run as effectively as possible to provide the highest level of protection to consumers and families. This includes hiring a Chief Technologist, as recommended by the Senate, to make certain that CPSC decisions are informed by the best available data and information." The other two were more general: to ensure "appropriate and timely action to protect the public from risks, consistent with the CPSC statutory mandates" and to address "the changing ways through which consumers purchase products and receive important information."
Topics fielded by Beck in rounds of questions included:
The day before and of the hearing, numerous advocacy groups issued statements opposing Beck's confirmation. They included Breast Cancer Prevention Partner, Consumer Federation of America, Environmental Working Group, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen, Union of Concerned Scientists, and US PIRG.
Also, the committee received two oppositional letters, one signed by over 90 scientists (on.nrdc.org/30Vlll8) and another joined by over 100 groups (bit.ly/3fnNndg).
The Competitive Enterprise Institute and Independent Women's Forum issued supportive statements.
Beck has two nominations. One to become chairman and another to take the empty commissioner slot that ends in October 2025 with a possible additional year allowed under the Consumer Product Safety Act. Her approval would secure the Republicans a CPSC majority until at least October 2024, the official end of Commissioner Dana Baiocco's term, no matter who wins the November presidential election.
Of course, that would change if one of the Republicans were to decide to leave early or somehow were enticed to do so. Forced removal would be highly unlikely because that step requires extreme circumstances like malfeasance (there is no indication or even suggestion of anything like that).
The current terms (extra years) end in Octobers of:
Other nominees being reviewed at the June 16 hearing (bit.ly/2zmHNs8)were one each for the Transportation Department and Federal Communications Commission plus two for the Commerce Department. |