Today, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) advanced critical safety standards to protect American children and families. These include final rules establishing safety standards for neck floats and water bead toys, and the advancement of a notice of proposed rulemaking for lithium-ion batteries used in micromobility products to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for interagency review.

In taking these actions, CPSC is proceeding consistent with President Trump’s Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies framework, which restores accountability to historically independent agencies that are led by unelected commissioners. At the same time, by working through OIRA, we ensure a whole-of-government approach to complex safety challenges. This approach strengthens rules, it does not delay them. Regrettably, former Commissioners chose to stage political protests against the President rather than advance lifesaving standards through the appropriate channels. Had they followed the process established by President Trump, these protections could have advanced months earlier.

Today’s actions make clear the Commission’s current leadership is committed to the agency’s core mission of protecting Americans from products that can cause the most harm. These rules will also provide new tools in the broader fight against China and the Chinese Communist Party, which have demonstrated time and again that they care little for U.S. laws or the safety of American consumers. These new standards should put foreign manufacturers and importers on notice: if you want access to the U.S. market, you must meet our safety standards.

With these renewed goals in mind, the Commission is advancing the following rules:

Mandatory Toy Safety Standard: Requirements for Water Beads
The Commission is issuing a final rule establishing mandatory safety requirements for water bead toys and toys that contain water beads. These products present severe choking and ingestion hazards to young children. Once swallowed, water beads can expand inside the body, causing intestinal blockages, internal injuries, and, in some cases, death. A substantial share of water bead toys sold in the U.S. are manufactured in China and distributed through online platforms with little to no safety vetting. This rule addresses hazards not covered by existing standards, provides clearer requirements for manufacturers and importers, and equips the Commission with additional tools to keep unsafe products out of U.S. commerce.

Mandatory Toy Safety Standard: Requirements for Neck Floats
The Commission is finalizing new safety requirements for infant neck floats under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. These products have been linked to multiple drowning deaths and serious near-fatal incidents. Many infant neck floats sold in the United States are manufactured in China and enter the market through e-commerce platforms with little or no safety oversight. This rule establishes robust performance standards and requires clearer warnings so parents understand the risks. It also strengthens the Commission’s ability to act against unsafe imports. Drowning remains the leading cause of death for children ages one to four, and today’s action is a critical step forward in protecting infants and toddlers.

Advancing Rulemaking for Lithium-Ion Batteries Used in Micromobility Products
The Commission has known the threat that lithium-ion batteries pose to the American public for over a decade, yet until today it has not acted lawfully to advance rulemaking to set a safety standard for these products. Under new leadership, the agency is submitting the draft rule, which OIRA has determined to be significant, to OIRA, pursuant to the Executive Order 14215 (Feb. 28, 2025). This action moves the rulemaking process forward for centralized review. 

Together, these actions deliver stronger protections for the American people and reaffirm that CPSC is hard at work safeguarding the public from unreasonable risks associated with consumer products.