The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday that it will relocate its headquarters from Bethesda, Maryland, to downtown Washington, D.C., as part of a broader effort to reduce federal office space costs and consolidate government operations.
CPSC, which oversees consumer product safety and recalls, will move from Bethesda Towers, where the agency has been headquartered since the early 1990s, to the Government Accountability Office building in downtown Washington. Roughly 250 employees will relocate to D.C., according to a source familiar with the transition.
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Officials said the move from privately leased office space to a federally owned building could save taxpayers up to $1 million annually, according to a source familiar with the relocation.
The move would reduce costs and improve the agency’s use of government-owned facilities, according to acting Chairman Peter Feldman.
“This relocation sets CPSC up for long-term success while demonstrating our responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” Feldman said. “By transitioning from privately leased office space to an existing government-owned facility, we’re reducing costs, making better use of federal assets, and creating a modern headquarters that better supports our critical safety mission.
“This is a smart move for CPSC and a win for the American people,” the chairman said.
The relocation aligns with the Trump administration’s push to reduce the federal government’s real estate footprint by moving agencies out of leased office space and into underused federal properties, agency officials said. The administration has highlighted office consolidations and property sales as part of its effort to cut operating costs across government.
The agency said the move will reduce its office footprint by roughly 30% while placing employees closer to Congress, the White House, and other federal agencies.
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The CPSC’s National Product Testing and Evaluation Center in Rockville, Maryland, will remain at its current location and will not be affected by the relocation. Agency officials said consumer safety operations are expected to continue without disruption during the transition, which is expected to be complete by October 2026.
The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues to pursue real estate reductions across the federal government. Earlier this month, the General Services Administration announced the sale of the Liberty Loan Building in southwest Washington, a move officials estimated would save nearly $14.6 million in deferred maintenance costs and about $1.6 million in annual operating expenses.
