"Hundreds of environmental and health groups are urging Congress not to weaken the nation’s premier chemical safety law as Republican lawmakers signal a willingness to reopen the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 

For months, environmental and health advocates have braced for a congressional bill that would weaken health protections in favor of quicker regulatory risk assessments of chemicals. More than 250 groups recently sent a letter to congressional leaders pleading with them to reconsider any such action, which they say would be a “historic step backward in protecting Americans.” 

“We understand that the chemical lobby is pressuring members to reopen TSCA and weaken the protections it provides,” the letter states. “Doing so would directly undermine public health protections and erase much of the progress our nation has made to shield people from dangerous chemicals.”

TSCA is the federal law under which the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluates chemicals to make sure human and environmental health will be protected before chemicals are put into the marketplace."

Brian Bienkowski reports for The New Lede January 6, 2026. [2]