The TSCA was established in 1976 to address chemical safety and strengthened with bipartisan support in 2016. With the 2016 reforms, it became a truly powerful tool for protecting people from toxic chemicals, resulting in a ban on asbestos and harmful paint strippers, the phaseout of cancer-causing chemicals like trichloroethylene, and restrictions that keep dangerous chemicals from entering the market.

The draft bill on the table, which is broadly supported by chemical industries, takes aim at some of the law's key provisions. The changes being proposed would restrict the EPA's ability to regulate toxic chemicals, expedite safety reviews of new chemicals, reduce consumer awareness, and roll back existing protections, like the ban on asbestos.