Consumer Protection
My political career began as a consumer advocate when I led the successful campaign in 1969 to put freshness dates on products sold in the supermarket. I am a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, where I serve as the Chairwoman of the Consumer Protection subcommittee. On the Committee, I have continued my efforts to protect consumers from unfair business practices, unsafe products, insurance abuses, and harmful chemicals in products, and to improve the safety of children's products, vehicles, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Legislation I've Introduced
Safe Cosmetics Act – The Safe Cosmetics Act would phase out the use of dangerous chemicals, including carcinogens and reproductive toxins, from use in personal care products. Visit Cosmetic Safety for more information.
More on Consumer Protection
Thank you to the people of Illinois' 9th Congressional District for choosing me, once again, to be your voice in Congress. It is truly an honor! I will continue to fight for a more equitable and just world. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need assistance.
WASHINGTON - United States Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Katie Porter (CA-45) and Chuy García (IL-04), along with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sent a letter to the CEO of Cerberus Capital Management, urging the private equity firm to pause the payment of the $4 billion Albertsons dividend scheduled for Monday and to provide answers about the impact of the dividend on the Kroger-Albertsons merger.
As you may have heard, Kroger, which owns Mariano's, announced plans to purchase Albertsons, which owns Jewel. This could have major implications for grocery prices in our community. Kroger posted record earnings during the pandemic, including $132 billion in 2020. At the same time, Kroger decreased worker pay by 8.1%.
WASHINGTON - Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan urging the agency to oppose Kroger's proposed $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons. In the letter, the lawmakers highlight how Kroger and Albertsons have price gouged consumers during the pandemic, and how this merger could increase monopoly power, buyer power, and hurt both companies' workers and consumers.
On Friday, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis issued an order that halts the Biden administration from disbursing any student loan relief funds until the court rules on an emergency request by six Republican-led states to block the policy.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (IL-05), and Sean Casten (IL-06) sent a letter to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors to express their concern over the inadequate response to the rise in violent crime against mail carriers. The letter comes after lawmakers received an apathetic response to a letter in July that called on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to protect postal workers. Since 2018, mail carrier robberies have more than tripled from 80 robberies to more than 260 robberies in 2021.
WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Congresswoman Brenda L. Lawrence (D-MI), Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL), and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) received a response from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to their letter expressing concerns about the gender-based disparities in traffic injuries and fatalities that are in part attributable to the absence of accurate female crash test dummies in the motor vehicle crash test system.
Last week, President Biden announced he is pardoning all Americans who have been convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law. The executive order will benefit 6,500 people with federal convictions. The criminalization of marijuana and this nation's failed ‘War on Drugs' has devastated our communities of color.