It's happened again. Another massive recall from Mattel due to lead-tainted toys made in China — the third major recall in five weeks.

As consumers look for answers — Mattel thus far has recalled more than 20 million toys manufactured in China — their eyes should land on the regulatory agency charged with consumer safety.

A closer look will show that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is engaged in a struggle of its own.

The agency has seen drastic cuts: Once staffed at almost 1,000 people in the 1970s, the agency has since been whittled down to 420, the New York Times reported. In the past two years alone, the commission's budget was cut 10 percent, with only one employee charged with testing potentially defective toys.

Perhaps even more troubling is the philosophical push in recent years toward voluntary industry compliance, and a softball approach when it come to holding companies accountable.

Mattel has been fined twice since 2001 for not reporting potential hazards within the required 24-hour period; the company waited two years. Now, Mattel is under fire for another recall with a delay of several months.

It's time for the Consumer Product Safety Commission to step up its efforts — and its urgency. Fines should be increased, providing great incentive for compliance with safety reporting rules.

Congress must also act on complaints from the agency's staff, many of whom have quit in frustration over a shift in values under the Bush administration. The push for tougher safety standards is routinely rejected in favor of industry-friendly voluntary compliance, as one commissioner told The Times.

Clearly a sense of urgency is needed. This latest string of recalls should be reason enough to change the system.