The United States CPSC has been in the news frequently the past few months. The current state of US politics has impacted most federal offices, and the office of the US CPSC is no exception.
I’ve drafted this post several times, hoping to provide members with the most up-to-date information. However, like many things in the United States, the situation at the United States Children’s Product Safety Commission is fluid and changing quickly.
The short story is that the current leadership in the United States is focused on deregulation and removal of longstanding government entities as one of its key agenda items. This includes the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is the government entity responsible for ensuring the products you purchase are generally safe and will not harm you or your family.
When you see recalls in the United States of strollers that are amputating fingers, cell phones that are exploding, or furniture that tips over, it’s the CPSC that is responsible.
Among other things, the CPSC is in charge of the regulations written into law with the Consumer Product Safety Act, which includes mandatory standards for durable nursery products like slings, wraps, soft carriers, and frame packs.
What is happening
I hesitate to offer too much detail about the situation at the CPSC because information has been changing frequently and the situation is a bit convoluted. However, here are some of the key details:
- No changes to mandatory standards or CPSIA law are expected or being discussed at the current time.
- Donald Trump’s administration removed 3 of the 5 commissioners at the CPSC. They sued the administration, and the courts have reinstated them to their positions pending a Supreme Court hearing on the matter. The outcome is uncertain. Within the past 12 months, the Supreme Court has already declined a related case.
- A leaked memorandum from the US Office of Management and Budget discussed shuttering the CPSC altogether, moving some of its responsibilities to the office of Health and Human Services.
- It’s unclear how many staff were cut during the DOGE-directed layoffs, but the office that works with small businesses to help them comply with and understand laws has been reduced from 3 staff to only 1. This has had a meaningful impact on the small businesses we serve.
- We have seen an increase in baby carriers seized for noncompliance at US borders since January 2025 in spite of the changes to CPSC and general reduction in federal workforce.
- We have generally seen an increase in state-specific legislation of children’s products in the last several years, such as PFAS bans, padded products legislation, Proposition 65 laws, and new state-specific cadmium restrictions. This is expected to increase significantly if federal regulations are eliminated or lessened.
- We may see either more or fewer recalls due to changes in oversight and enforcement.
I’m going to share two links here if you’d like to learn more, but I would like to reiterate that the news regarding the CPSC is fluctuating as quickly as the US news on tariffs and other business-related policy.
- The National Law Review posted a timeline of events on June 18, 2025.
- The SCOTUS Blog posted an article on July 11, 2025 about the pending Supreme Court Case to decide whether the US president has the legal right to fire the three democratic commissioners at the CPSC