Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously to approve its Operating Plan for Fiscal Year 2025.  This consensus document provides guidance to our staff and stakeholders on what the Commission intends to accomplish in the year ahead.  The plan reflects a number of our priorities to keep American families safe, including the following amendments, all of which were adopted unanimously:

Policing E-Commerce. The plan now designates e-commerce platforms as a top enforcement priority.  Direct-to-consumer platforms, including Shein, Temu, and others, have grown significantly in the past year.  Under this provision, the agency recommits itself to providing consistent enforcement in a changing e-commerce landscape.

Strengthening Partnerships with States.  The Operating Plan directs the creation of a formal liaison to improve outreach and coordination with state attorneys general.  This initiative will enhance opportunities for partnership on enforcement matters to protect consumers.

Increasing Transparency on Inability-to-Pay Claims.  Firms that violate U.S. laws should face financial consequences for their noncompliance. For too long, the Commission has accepted representations of a firm’s financial solvency as accurate, without adequate verification.  This new direction requires evidence of the financial condition of any firm asserting an inability-to-pay defense against civil penalty assessments and other obligations. 

Ending Subsidies for Recall Translations.  Recalling firms, not American taxpayers, should be on the hook for the costs of translating recall documents into other languages.  Despite clear direction from Congress that we may require the recalling firm to pay these expenses, the Commission instead foots the bill.  This amendment properly realigns these costs.

Respecting Tribal Sovereignty.  To improve consultation with American Indian and Alaska Native tribal nations, the Operating Plan now directs the development of a formal process to recognize tribal sovereignty and ensure meaningful and timely input on agency business and pending matters.

We wish to thank our colleagues for their support.  A copy of these amendments, as adopted, is attached below and available here.

The views expressed in this statement are those of Commissioners Feldman and Dziak and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission.