Bureaucracy FRQ-AP US Government The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is a government agency that oversees the safety of thousands of consumer products sold in the United States. This includes both domestic goods and imports—those produced inside and those produced outside the country, respectively. The agency collects and investigates complaints from consumers about potentially faulty products and works with manufacturers to issue recalls as needed. About 400 recalls are issued each year, where products are returned to the company for replacement, repair, or refund. Consumers can learn about recalls on the CPSC website. In addition, the CPSC recommends that consumers register newly purchased products to receive any recall information as quickly and efficiently as possible.

In 2016, Samsung launched its Galaxy Note7 smartphone and soon began receiving complaints of exploding batteries. Some people experienced burns and in some cases the faulty batteries led to destructive fires. Videos and pictures of the damage spread widely online. Initially Samsung offered its own recall for replacement, but the CPSC made it official as the number of incidents continued to grow. When the replacements also failed, the CPSC issued a new official recall forcing Samsung to refund the purchase or replace with a completely different device. This affected 1.9 million devices sold in the United States. The Galaxy Note 7 was discontinued.

1). Referring to the scenario, describe the executive branch authority exercised by the CPSC in issuing recalls for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.