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WASHINGTON, D.C. – With a new session of Congress underway, eight of the nation’s leading consumer organizations are calling on President Obama and lawmakers to help “level the playing field for consumers” by supporting a comprehensive agenda for consumer rights.

In letters to the President and members of the House and Senate, the organizations wrote, “American consumers want and deserve a fair shake in the marketplace.  The safety of the food we eat, the products we buy, the healthcare we receive and the financial services we choose depend upon it.  Yet too often, the scales are tipped in favor of industry.  As the financial crisis made brutally clear, unchecked abuses in the marketplace can wreak havoc on individuals, families and the economy at large.  Now more than ever, consumers need the strong support of the Administration and Congress to defend existing consumer protections and promote further improvements where needed.”

The groups presented a list of priorities and concerns for the 114th Congress entitled “A Robust Agenda for Consumers.”  The priorities include:

• Ensuring financial security for consumers
• Making health care affordable, accessible and safe
• Protecting regulatory safeguards
• Making sure our food, products and cars are safe
•  Building on environmental progress
• Ensuring the Internet remains affordable and accessible
• Keeping legal avenues open to all consumers
• Working for greater competition and consumer choice
• Promoting fair trade
• Reducing the influence of money in politics

The letters were signed by presidents and chief executive officers of Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, National Association of Consumer Advocates, National Consumers League, National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), Public Citizen and U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

“By working together and helping consumers make more informed decisions, we want to build an influential consumer movement that will be a force for change,” the groups wrote.

Available online at the Consumers Union website are the agenda and the letters to the President, the Senate, and the House.