What to Expect from CPSC in 2025

At the end of last year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approved an Operating Plan for Fiscal Year 2025, which includes CPSC’s strategic priorities and resource allocations for the coming year. Stated priorities include evaluating e-commerce platforms’ compliance with existing regulations, coordinating with state regulators, and continuing to focus on infant support cushions, nursing pillows, and toys containing button cell and coin cell batteries.

Upon approval of the Operating Plan, CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric released a statement praising the “aggressive and thoughtful plan” that recognized “the tight fiscal environment the Commission is facing.” Chairman Hoehn-Saric expressed his concern that deep budgetary cuts and reductions in staffing would leave CPSC’s ability to effectively operate “seriously impaired.” Despite these concerns, Chairman Hoehn-Saric affirmed that the “operating plan as presented by staff and approved by the Commission provides the agency with a solid, responsible plan given our budgetary constraints and uncertainty.”

As we previously reported, CPSC’s budget was cut by $1.525 million from Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 to 2024. CPSC’s requested budget of $183.05 million is currently pending before Congress and would mark an increase of $32.1 million from CPSC’s FY 2024 budget if approved. Most of the requested increase is intended to cover salaries and benefits.

CPSC’s Operating Plan for FY 2025 outlines several areas of focus for CPSC and offers insight into CPSC’s work across a broad range of products. The Plan also highlights CPSC’s efforts to address emerging safety issues and improve public awareness.

CPSC’s Operating Plan places particular focus on the increasing volume of products sold through e-commerce platforms. According to Commissioner Peter Feldman, FY 2024 saw the significant growth of direct-to-consumer platforms like Shein and Temu. In September 2024, Commissioners Feldman and Douglas Dziak called for an investigation into foreign-owned e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu to determine how these companies meet applicable obligations imposed by the Consumer Product Safety Act. As e-commerce continues to expand, so does the challenge of ensuring products sold online and imported to the U.S. meet safety standards. Commissioner Feldman asserted that “the agency recommits itself to providing consistent enforcement in a changing e-commerce landscape.”

The Operating Plan also included several amendments aimed at modernizing CPSC’s processes to evolve with the rapidly changing consumer goods landscape. For example, it considers the creation of a formal liaison to improve outreach and coordination with state attorneys general. CPSC envisions that this initiative will enhance opportunities for partnership on enforcement matters to protect consumers.

The Operating Plan also singles out infant support cushions, nursing pillows, and toys containing button cell and coin cell batteries as continued “priority activities” for the coming year. CPSC indicated that it intends to establish screening criteria and conduct industry surveillance of such products.

Ultimately, CPSC has ambitious goals in FY 2025, despite its uncertain budget for the coming year. As CPSC gears up to take a more aggressive stance on safety requirements for products sold on domestic and foreign e-commerce platforms, such platforms should consider possible implications for their businesses. Given CPSC’s continued focus on infant products and button and coin cell batteries in FY 2024, manufacturers of these products should remain vigilant and proactive in their safety and risk mitigation practices to address potential risk exposure. We will continue to monitor and report developments as new regulations are proposed and passed.