Product Safety Agencies Escape Major Budget Cuts

By Brian Giannini

Congress recently passed a bill that keeps the government open and funds federal agencies and programs through the end of September, the end of the current fiscal year. The compromise measure saves regulatory agencies, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), from massive cuts to product safety budgets. While the issue is still contentious, the measure was strongly supported by consumers and advocacy organizations who see these agencies as the guardians of consumer safety, as regulators with the power to force companies to recall unsafe products.

Looking more closely at the budget deal, we see that Congress has actually increased the budget for the FDA by $107 million for the remainder of the fiscal year. This underscores the government’s commitment to monitoring and inspecting the food and drug supply, and may help the agency monitor industry more effectively.

Despite the efforts of Republican lawmakers, the CPSC’s new public database of consumer product safety complaints also will continue to receive federal funding. As The Washington Post reported in its coverage of the budget negotiations, the CPSC database was “targeted for extinction” but “emerged unscathed.” But the continuing resolution does require the Government Accountability Office to investigate the effectiveness of the new and report its findings to Congress within 180 days.

These funding decisions are evidence that product safety is still a priority for elected officials. Manufacturers must remain vigilant about pre-release testing procedures and internal production processes, as well as imported products and ingredients. Making sure that your company’s internal standards meet the latest regulatory requirements is critical. You must be prepared to review your recall logistics plans before and after a product withdrawal. An ineffective recall could lead regulators to initiate a product seizure.

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