Richard Trumka Jr.

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This article is about the commissioner of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. For his father, the union leader, see Richard Trumka.
Richard Trumka Jr.
Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Assumed office
December 2, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byRobert S. Adler
Personal details
Born1984 or 1985 (age 39–40)[1]
Political partyDemocratic
EducationCornell University (BS)
Georgetown University Law Center (JD)

Richard Louis "Rich" Trumka Jr. (born 1984 or 1985) is an American lawyer and government official. He is currently a member of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, serving since December 2021.

Early life, education and career[edit]

Trumka was born c. 1984 as the only child of prominent labor leader Richard Trumka and his wife, Barbara Vidovich Trumka.[1][2] He received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.[3]

Early in his career, Trumka worked as an assistant attorney general in the consumer protection division of the Office of the Maryland Attorney General.[1] In 2019, he became general counsel and staff director of the Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, where he led investigations into teenage use of e-cigarettes and the presence of toxic heavy metals in baby food.[3]

Consumer Product Safety Commission[edit]

Trumka was nominated to a seven-year term on the CPSC by President Joe Biden in July 2021.[4] His nomination was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in November of that year and he took office on December 2, 2021.[5] On the commission, Trumka worked to pass child safety rule, including rules related to pull cords of window coverings and the prevention of swallowing magnets.[3]

Gas stove controversy[edit]

In December 2022, Trumka triggered a political controversy over the use and regulation of gas stoves.[3] During a virtual event, Trumka said that the CPSC would issue a request for information on hazards, particularly related to indoor air quality, of the appliances. "This public request for information is the first step in what could be a long journey toward regulating gas stoves," Trumka said, according to The Hill, adding that "We could get a regulation on the books before this time next year." According to The Hill, Trumka also said that an "outright ban" on new gas stoves was "a real possibility."[6] In a January 2023 interview with Bloomberg, Trumka described gas stoves as "a hidden hazard," adding that "[a]ny option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned."[7]

Many political people and institutions on the right and center—including Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia);[8] Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas),[9] Jim Jordan,[10] and Gary Palmer (R-Alabama);[8] Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis;[10] Fox News personalities Sean Hannity[10] and Tucker Carlson;[3] and the Heritage Foundation[11]—as well as the American Gas Association[8] took issue with Trumka's comments and the proposal that the CPSC take action up and including a ban on gas stoves. On Twitter, Manchin described it as "a recipe for disaster. The federal government has no business telling American families how to cook their dinner. I can tell you the last thing that would ever leave my house is the gas stove that we cook on."[8] Natural gas analyst Steve Everley published an analysis challenging the design of the study most commonly cited about the dangers of gas stoves.[12]

To quell the controversy, CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric issued a statement that "I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so," and the White House issued a statement that President Biden "does not support banning gas stoves – and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves."[8] Subsequent news reports indicated that the CPSC might pursue so-called compromises, including requiring hoods for all gas stoves, setting performance standards for hoods or requiring that gas stoves have sensors for certain pollutant concentrations.[13] Later in 2023, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced legislation (H.R. 1615) that would bar the CPSC from using taxpayer funds for a gas stove ban; the bill cleared the committee with bipartisan support.[14]

Personal life[edit]

Trumka (left) accepts the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented posthumously to his late father in July 2022.
Trumka (left) accepts the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented posthumously to his late father in July 2022.

Trumka is married and has two young children.[1] In July 2022, he accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom that Biden conferred posthumously on his late father.[15] His hobbies include woodworking.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Cote, Neil (March 10, 2021). "Richard Trumka Jr. – U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee". Vanguard Magazine. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  2. ^ Scheiber, Noam (August 5, 2021). "Richard Trumka, A.F.L.-C.I.O. Chief, Dies at 72". New York Times. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Joselow, Maxine (January 26, 2023). "Meet the man who unwittingly triggered the war over gas stoves". Washington Post. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  4. ^ Frankel, Todd (July 14, 2021). "Biden nominates Rich Trumka Jr. to fill safety regulator seat". Washington Post. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Richard Trumka". United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  6. ^ Frazin, Rachel (December 14, 2022). "Consumer safety board to weigh regulations on gas stoves". The Hill. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  7. ^ Natter, Ari (January 9, 2023). "US Safety Agency to Consider Ban on Gas Stoves Amid Health Fears". Bloomberg. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e Egan, Matt (January 12, 2023). "We're not taking away your gas stove, regulator tells CNN". CNN. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  9. ^ Phillips, Aleks (January 11, 2023). "Is Joe Biden Banning Gas Stoves? What We Know, What We Don't". Newsweek. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Hagen, Lisa; Jeff Brady (January 21, 2023). "Gas stoves became part of the culture war in less than a week. Here's why". NPR. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  11. ^ Canaparo, GianCarlo; Jack Fitzhenry (January 13, 2023). "Nanny State Throws Kitchen Sink, Aiming for Stove". Daily Signal. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  12. ^ Everley, Steve (January 18, 2023). "Debunking the Research Behind the Gas-Stove Hysteria". National Review. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  13. ^ Leber, Rebecca (January 11, 2023). "The gas stove regulation uproar, explained". Vox. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  14. ^ Tamborrino, Kelsey (May 24, 2023). "House panel advances GOP gas stove bills". Politico. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Remarks by President Biden at Presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom". The White House. July 7, 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2024.

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by Commissioner of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
2021–present 		Incumbent
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