Washington, D.C.-(ENEWSPF)- Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly (D-IL) helped pass two bills that will improve families’ access to baby formula, ensure every infant has the nutrition they need to live and develop, and prevent this crisis from happening again.
The supplemental funding bill (H.R. 7790) provides the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urgently needed resources to help address the infant formula shortage, increase the number of FDA inspection staff, provide resources for personnel working on formula issues, help the agency stop fraudulent baby formula from entering the marketplace, and improve data collection on the formula market.
“Parents across the Second Congressional District and the entire country are scrambling to find the infant formula to feed their hungry children. I am proud to have voted tonight to alleviate that burden by addressing supply chain issues and helping parents who rely on WIC,” said Congresswoman Kelly. “The formula crisis is impacting everyone, but especially parents and caretakers who rely on WIC benefits to feed their children. It’s hard enough as a parent to take the time to shop around when you can’t find what you need, but it’s impossible when your WIC benefit dollars are too restrictive. All parents should be able to feed their babies, and anything we can do to ease this burden right now is critically important.”
The infant formula shortage has taken an especially dangerous toll on vulnerable women and children who use Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits to purchase formula. In response, the Access to Baby Formula Act (H.R. 7791) provides flexibility so that low-income families can continue purchasing safe infant formula with their WIC benefits during a crisis, such as a supply chain disruption.
The Access to Baby Formula Act is particularly important as nearly half of all infant formula is purchased using WIC benefits and 89 percent of WIC participants purchased formula from Abbott Nutrition – the manufacturing plant that closed and spurred the shortage crisis. Recalling their products was necessary to keep babies safe from harm, but we have to act now to help parents continue to feed their children.
To read the bill text for supplemental funding legislation to address infant formula shortage, click here.
To read the bill text for the Access to Baby Formula Act, click here.
To learn more about the Access to Baby Formula Act, click here.
This is news from Congresswoman Robin Kelly’s office.
