On Friday May 9all three Democratic members of the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) were fired by President Trump. The fired commissioners include Mary T. Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, and Richard Trumka Jr. The CPSC is an independent agency focused on protecting Americans from hazardous consumer products, issuing recalls and safety warnings. The agency is led by five commissioners that serve for seven-year terms. All the Democrats fired still had from several months to years left on their term. The CPSC firings come after the Trump administration dismissed other officials at independent agencies, including members of the National Transportation Safety Board, National Labor Relations Board, and Federal Trade Commission.

Of importance to the mattress industry, the CPSC administers and enforces 16 CFR 1632 (smoldering ignition test) and 16 CFR 1633 (open-flame test) flammability standards for mattresses, mattress pads, and mattress sets. As ISPA reported last year, the CPSC initiated the process of updating these safety standards. With just two Commissioners, this work will likely be severely delayed or potentially cancelled altogether. Further, it is unclear if the Trump Administration plans to dismantle the CPSC as a whole and reorganize its function into a different agency. ISPA will update you with any significant developments.