Is This Seat Open? Nancy Beck Tapped to Chair CPSC

This week, President Trump announced that he intends to nominate Nancy Beck as Chair and Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The five-person CPSC has been short a member since the end of September 2019, when former Acting Chair Ann Marie Buerkle stepped down and then-Vice-Chair Robert Adler assumed the role of Acting Chair. Dr. Beck is currently at the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She spent nearly 10 years at the Office of Management and Budget under the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. Dr. Beck, who holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Health, would be the only scientist among her potential future colleagues, all of whom are lawyers. She would also break the 2-2 political stalemate, tipping the balance of the CPSC to Republicans. Before that can happen, however, the Senate must confirm Dr. Beck’s forthcoming nomination, which may be more challenging in an election year.