CPSC
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Nomination of Mary Sheila Gall as chair of Consumer Products Safety Commission opposed by Senate Commerce Committee Democrats Aug. 2. Nomination was rejected in split vote down party lines; Democrats hold a 12-11 majority. During July 25 hearing, several majority members questioned Gall's commitment to consumer safety, suggesting her industry-friendly voting record goes against CPSC's mission. "Mary Gall did not lose today, bipartisanship lost today," Bush Administration Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said in an Aug. 2 statement. "Many of the same Senators who voted for Mary Gall when she was nominated by President Clinton just two years ago, voted against her today demonstrating the purely partisan nature of this vote." The Administration could still push for a vote on the Senate floor, although Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (S.D.) has said he will not allow such an action. Gall has served as one of three CPSC commissioners since December 1991