Richard Trumka Jr.

Richard Louis Trumka Jr. (born 1984 or 1985) is an American lawyer and government official who served as a member of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from December 2, 2021 to July 23, 2025.

Early life, education and career Trumka was born 1984 as the only child of prominent labor leader Richard Trumka and his wife, Barbara Vidovich Trumka. He received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University, where he played football, and his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Early in his career, Trumka worked as an assistant attorney general in the consumer protection division of the Office of the Maryland Attorney General. His nomination was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in November of that year and he took office on December 2, 2021. On the commission, Trumka worked to pass child safety rule, including rules related to pull cords of window coverings and the prevention of swallowing magnets. On June 13, 2025, Judge Matthew J. Maddox of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ruled that their dismissals were improper and reinstated them to the commission. On July 23, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States, in a 6-3 emergency ruling for the case Donald J. Trump v. Mary Boyle (2025), overturned Maddox's ruling and allow the firing of Trumka and the two other Democratic members from the commission

Gas stove controversy In December 2022, Trumka triggered a political controversy over the use and regulation of gas stoves. In a January 2023 interview with Bloomberg, Trumka described gas stoves as "a hidden hazard," adding that "ny option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned."

Many political people and institutions on the right and center—including Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia); Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Jim Jordan, and Gary Palmer (R-Alabama); —as well as the American Gas Association

To quell the controversy, CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric issued a statement that "I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so," and the White House issued a statement that President Biden "does not support banning gas stoves – and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves." Later in 2023, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced legislation (H.R. 1615) that would bar the CPSC from using taxpayer funds for a gas stove ban; the bill cleared the committee with bipartisan support.

Personal life alt=Trumka (left) accepts the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented posthumously to his late father in July 2022. Trumka (left) accepts the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented posthumously to his late father in July 2022. Trumka is married and has two young children. His hobbies include woodworking.