The Nation -- The latest horror stories about lead-laced toys imported from China may stir Congress to pass legislation providing overdue funding and enforcement authority to the beleagured Consumer Product Safety Commission. But testimony given at a House hearing Thursday raised the prospect that the World Trade Organization could overturn new laws designed to safeguard Americans from unsafe Barbies and other imports.
Lori Wallach, executive director of the D.C.-based advocacy group Public Citizen, testified to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee that while U.S. law enforcement is part of the problem the "root cause is U.S. trade policies." Wallach noted that following the 2000 decision to grant China most favored nation trade status (which paved the way for China's entry into the WTO), more than 80 percent of all imported toys are now being made in China.
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