Consumer protections under threat

Urge Congress to uphold strong pro-consumer rules

 

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Some of our most basic and trusted safety, environmental, and public health protections are under threat after a breaking Supreme Court decision that will undermine the ability of federal agencies to protect the public.  The ruling effectively gutted a decades-old principle that helped federal agencies and their experts carry out their responsibilities under the law and issue evidence-based rules ranging from consumer protections against financial scams to standards that prevent environmental pollution. 

This decision puts us at risk of weakened consumer protections and a national patchwork of rules. It could also upend many of the health and safety regulations currently in place.  But Congress can take action now to uphold these protections and give agencies the discretion they need to ensure public health, safety, and fairness in the marketplace.

Join us in calling on Congress to respond, and ensure that agencies can continue to develop and enforce consumer, safety, and environmental standards that protect us all.

Petition to Members of U.S. Congress:

We call on the U.S. Congress to enact legislation that ensures agencies have the discretion they need to protect public health, safety, and fairness in the marketplace. For years, regulatory agencies have defended consumers by banning contaminated foods and hazardous products, preventing air and water pollution, and stopping predatory financial schemes. Now the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the doctrine of Chevron deference undermines regulatory agencies’ ability to do their jobs and puts our wellbeing at risk.

Threats to consumers, including emerging issues such as the use of AI and algorithmic decisionmaking tools, will continue to unfold. We need the experts at regulatory agencies to be able to develop new consumer protections against these evolving threats, as well as to enforce current protections. We should be able to rely on the health, safety, environmental, and market safeguards that protect Americans every day.  Please pass legislation to codify that regulatory agencies can reasonably interpret the laws they oversee, and enforce the consumer and safety protections they have established.