Plan to Move CPSC to HHS Confirmed in CPSC and HHS Budget Requests

The idea to move CPSC into the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) became a confirmed plan May 30 with the publication of CPSC and HHS FY2026 budget requests. PSL also has seen and confirmed the authenticity of a message from CPSC Acting Chairman Peter Feldman to agency staff, including that the plan cannot occur without legislation. FY2026 begins in four months on October 1.

The CPSC request (bit.ly/4kmMyDo) repeats the funding level of $135 million stated in an earlier HHS document leaked in April (PSL, 4/21/25). CPSC also seeks approval for 459 full-time equivalent staffers, a 14% decrease from the 534 approved for the current fiscal year. The aim is to use HHS administrative and other staff for some functions now handled in-house. The suggested appropriations language includes:

"Contingent upon enactment of authorizing legislation transferring the functions of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to the Department of Health and Human Services, for necessary expenses of the Assistant Secretary for Consumer Product Safety…"

The HHS request (bit.ly/4kuPu0A) fleshes out a one sentence description in its earlier, leaked document of what the CPSC replacement would do. Duties would involve:

• "Identifying potential product hazards through data analysis and research."
• "Developing voluntary standards with organizations, manufacturers, and businesses."
• "Informing and educating consumers directly and through traditional, online, and social media and by working with state and local governments, and private organizations; and"
• "Educating manufacturers worldwide about regulations, supply chain integrity, and development of safe products."
• "Obtaining the recall of products and arranging for a repair, replacement or refund for recalled products; and"
• "Issuing and enforcing mandatory standards or banning consumer products if no feasible standard would adequately protect the public."

Meanwhile, the message from Feldman to CPSC staff included:

"Since our founding, CPSC has served as the federal government's frontline agency in protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products. Like us, HHS also works to protect the public from a wide array of health and safety threats, from disease prevention to food and drug safety. Aligning CPSC as a component of HHS – alongside institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health – would elevate consumer product safety as a vital component of the national public health strategy."

"Let me be clear: this proposal is not in any way a plan to diminish or eliminate our role. On the contrary, this restructuring is a strategic effort to reinforce and expand our ability to deliver on our core safety mission. By aligning with HHS, we would be better positioned to dedicate a greater portion of our annual resources directly to safety work, benefiting the American people and reflecting the trust they place in us."

"This proposal would require legislative action, including a transfer of authorities, to become effective. I welcome the opportunity to work with HHS, [the Office of Management and Budget], and Congress on this effort and stand ready to follow the direction of Congress and the President. Until then, the Commission will continue to carry out its vital mission as currently structured."