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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/uschinatradechildrenWASHINGTON (AFP) - Top Democratic lawmakers demanded Tuesday the resignation of the US consumer product safety chief and unveiled plans for stiffer enforcement laws after Halloween toys became the latest tainted made-in-China goods to be recalled.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi led her colleagues from the Democratic Party in calling on Nancy Nord, the chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), to quit amid more discoveries of tainted toys.
"I call on the president of the United States to ask for the resignation," Pelosi told a news conference at Capitol Hill with other lawmakers by her side.
To drive home her message, she displayed a collection of tainted toys and particularly waved a colorful top, whose lead content was found to be 200 times higher than permitted under law.
Also Tuesday, the CPSC came under fire in a expert report for lack of staff -- it has only one full-time toy tester -- and capability in examining imported items.
Nord, an appointee of President George W. Bush, has stood firm against proposed legislation seeking to increase the agency's authority and staff, double its budget and increase the maximum penalties for safety violations.
Her stand was largely in line with the broadly deregulatory approach of the Bush administration.
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