A government agency responsible for protecting Americans from unsafe products now needs protection itself.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has oversight of more than 15,000 categories of products whose safety we tend to take for granted—including things like hair dryers, power adapters, and candles, all of which have been the subject of recent recalls by the agency.
The CPSC was created by Congress over 50 years ago as an independent agency led by both Republican and Democratic commissioners to insulate its work from political pressure.
Since January, however, executive orders, staff reductions, and a hiring freeze in the federal government have been chipping away at the agency’s authority and independence. In late April, a draft White House proposal included plans to eliminate the CPSC, cut funding for the agency’s functions, and transfer what remains of its work to the Department of Health and Human Services. There, officials in charge of that work would answer directly to political appointees of whoever is occupying the White House.
Then, on May 8, the agency’s three Democratic commissioners were abruptly fired after they objected to staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) joining the agency. They say they will challenge the move in court.
Consumer advocate groups and lawmakers in Congress are rallying to preserve the CPSC as a fully staffed and fully funded independent, bipartisan agency.
