Following two months of legal chaos, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) appears to be charting a new course for consumer protection policy. On August 20, 2025, Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman of CPSC
issued a statement declaring a shift in the agency’s regulatory approach. According to Chairman Feldman, CPSC is refocusing its mission on advancing safety through “sound science, robust data, and common sense,” and is withdrawing numerous longstanding proposed rulemakings that do not meet these criteria. The statement emphasized CPSC’s desire to remain consistent with “President Trump’s agenda and his commitment to preserve the freedom of the American people to choose from a full range of goods and appliances.”
This development follows a period of substantial legal and political upheaval at CPSC. As we previously reported, President Trump removed CPSC’s three Democratic commissioners in May, triggering a legal battle over the scope of presidential removal power. The commissioners were briefly reinstated by court order until the Supreme Court stayed the ruling ordering their reinstatement, leaving the agency in flux with respect to agency priorities and enforcement approaches.
Against this backdrop, Chairman Feldman announced that CPSC would be withdrawing several proposed rules that have remained on its agenda for years without final action. According to Chairman Feldman’s statement, “regulations and practices that do not reasonably advance safety—but instead promote unscientific ideological agendas, impose unnecessary costs, restrict consumer choice, or reduce competition, entrepreneurship, and innovation—are no longer agency priorities.”
The withdrawn pending rulemakings include safety standards for blade-contact injuries on table saws, recreational off-highway vehicles, debris penetration hazards, and banned hazardous substances, including aerosol duster products. Chairman Feldman also announced the rescission of two rules governing citizens band radio antennas and old refrigerator safety mandates for models that have not been produced in over 50 years.
Just one day after his first statement, Chairman Feldman released another statement on CPSC’s issuance of new safety standards, including “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.” According to Chairman Feldman, “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.”
Chairman Feldman’s statements signal a shift in CPSC’s regulatory posture, with a stated emphasis on “evidence-based safety” and the withdrawal of certain rules characterized as “costly, unsupported, and anti-competitive.” While CPSC asserts it will concentrate on hazards presenting substantial risks and pursue mandatory standards only where justified by evidence, how these priorities will be implemented in practice remains to be seen. Adding to the uncertainty, Commissioner Doug Dziak announced his resignation from his position at CPSC on August 22, leaving Chairman Feldman as the sole commissioner.
For companies that operate in spaces regulated by CPSC, ongoing litigation over agency leadership continues to create uncertainty. Agency priorities and enforcement approaches may continue to shift depending on the outcome of pending appeals and future Supreme Court action. Companies should monitor ongoing developments, as CPSC’s priorities and leadership structure remain subject to further change.
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