We are living in uncertain times. We don’t know what our bottom line will be, yet we are tasked today with establishing a blueprint of activities and projects we intend to accomplish in the coming year.

Last year at this time, I talked about the need to make the Operating Plan a living document, an aspirational set of goals that can change depending on circumstances, the progress of work, and available resources. That paradigm seems especially apt in this year’s environment of flux, and with my amendment to today’s Operating Plan, the Commission will be able to revisit some of the priorities we approved once the budgetary landscape comes into better focus.

Regardless of the final appropriation, though, one point must not be subject to change. And that is that this Operating Plan must be the final word on unfinished business. Table Saws. Portable Generators. Furnaces. Nursing Pillows. Infant Cushions. We must devote our full attention and focus to these final rules not only so that we can fulfill our longstanding obligation to address these issues—which we must—but also to create the capacity to embrace the challenges of the future.

These rulemaking activities have been on the Commission’s agenda for too long, and we should no longer tolerate further delay. Rolling projects from one year to the next leaves little room for bold initiatives and new ideas.

I am happy we are committing to some new projects—such as regulations for e-bikes, battery safety for micromobility products, and safety standards for water beads. There is, however, much more we can be doing to tackle issues of the day, including e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and chronic hazards, so that we are poised to anticipate safety issues rather than merely react to them after the fact.

Our budget prospects may be tentative, but our commitment to safety must not waver.