U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Budget Confirms Plans to Absorb CPSC

June 2, 2025 | The 2026 fiscal year budget proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) includes a structural reorganization of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The approved proposal would establish a new department managed by the Assistant Secretary for Consumer Product Safety (ASCPS) within the Office of the Secretary, to oversee the safety of consumer products at the federal level.

Since CPSC’s statutory authority was established by Congress, this change will require congressional action in order to be implemented.

The proposed budget allocates $135 million for ASCPS, $16 million less than the CPSC’s funding for its 2025 fiscal year. According to the budget, the decrease reflects anticipated efficiencies in administrative and support services to be provided by HHS.

The ASCPS would assume responsibility for protecting the public from “unreasonable risks of injury or death from consumer products through education, safety standards activities, and enforcement”. The budget proposal is also subject to congressional approval as part of the overall budget process.

This news comes after other changes to the agency, including President Trump’s decision in early May to remove the three Democratic commissioners from the five-member CPSC board: Alexander Hoehn-Saric, Mary T. Boyle, and Richard Trumka Jr. All three are currently contesting their removal through the courts.

The Toy Association is continuing to monitor this developing situation.