Independent Inspector General Credits CPSC Leadership with Reversing Longstanding Management Failures

Watchdog recognizes decisive leadership, greater accountability, and progress in addressing years of institutional deficiencies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a newly released report, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) independent Inspector General recognized progress under Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman’s leadership in addressing longstanding management deficiencies, strengthening accountability, and improving agency operations.

In his Management and Performance Challenges for Fiscal Year 2027, Inspector General Christopher W. Dentel identified improvement in the agency’s leadership and management culture:

“Historically, a recurring issue at the CPSC, and one which has compounded the difficulty in adequately addressing the CPSC’s other challenges, has been the ‘tone at the top’ of the agency. I am happy to report that current senior leadership has taken steps to reverse this trend.”

The Inspector General further observed that “current senior leadership has demonstrated a willingness to embrace change and act decisively,” and cited progress across several areas:

Accountability and performance: Establishing performance metrics and dashboards, adopting a new strategic plan focused on measurable outcomes, and strengthening oversight of agency programs and personnel.

Enforcement and modernization: Creating an Analytic Center of Excellence to identify unsafe products and target illegal shipments, while advancing modernization of the agency’s injury surveillance systems.

Internal controls and risk management: Updating longstanding agency policies, issuing 11 new directives, strengthening agency-wide risk assessments, and improving management oversight.

Operational efficiency: Advancing the relocation of CPSC headquarters to a smaller federal facility in Washington, D.C., reducing the agency’s physical footprint by approximately 30 percent.