Consumer Protection
Auto Loan Complaints Rise
A review of complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Consumer Complaint Database reveals a sharp spike in consumer complaints about auto purchasing, leasing and finance since the beginning of the pandemic.
COVID-19
'Week of Mourning' commemorates more than 200,000 American deaths
U.S. PIRG has partnered with Marked by COVID for a national "Week of Mourning" to commemorate the Americans who have lost their lives to COVID-19. Mourners are attending virtual vigils and shared testimonials on social media throughout the week in acknowledgement of lost friends, coworkers and loved ones.
Consumer Protection
California persists with new protections in face of fires, COVID-19
Included in the windfall of CALPIRG-supported legislative victories this year are a law creating a California consumer watchdog, a first-in-the-nation ban on 12 toxic chemicals in personal care products sold in California, and a law prohibiting flavored tobacco products in the state, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed hours after it passed the Legislature.
COVID-19
Govs. Ige, Newsom make the right call for public health
Facing surges in COVID-19 cases, Gov. David Ige (Hawaii) and Gov. Gavin Newsom (Calif.) have scaled back their states' reopening plans. Gov. Ige has approved a stay-at-home order for the island of Oahu, and Gov. Newsom has announced a tiered re-opening plan that places more rigorous restrictions on counties with "widespread" transmission.
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U.S. PIRG is your advocate for the public interest, speaking out for healthier, safer, more secure lives for all of us.
News & Research
Plastic “recycling” makes us more dependent on the material in surprising ways, and that makes our pollution problem much worse
The tale of Peter Mui’s broken infrared toaster oven, and how repair can help fix our broken relationship with stuff.
U.S. PIRG, Environment America, and other advocacy groups filed a lawsuit Friday to protect energy efficiency standards. The suit challenges the Department of Energy’s new rule that changes the process by which it determines the stringency of energy efficiency standards.
U.S. PIRG and its state affiliates are working to make sure that every eligible American voter has the ability to participate in democracy, even during a pandemic. We have called on states to ensure safe elections in November, with emergency expansion of vote by mail, sanitized and socially distant polling places and other measures. This weekly update highlights the work we’re doing on the COVID-19 voting front, and other important developments in the news.
Many hospitals have to postpone patient care while waiting on manufacturers’ technicians according to a new survey finding.
RESOURCE
Coronavirus update
In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, we’ve taken steps for all of our staff to work remotely for safety reasons. But rest assured, we’ll keep advocating for you as we work for a healthier, safer world.
Learn more about how we can work together to address the COVID-19 pandemic.




