Gallego Votes to Act on Infant Formula Shortage
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) voted to pass H.R. 7790, a supplemental appropriations bill to provide $28 million in emergency funding for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to address the urgent infant formula shortage and prevent a similar shortage from ever happening again. He also voted to pass H.R. 7791, the Access to Baby Formula Act, which will boost access to baby formula for families who rely on the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to feed their kids.
“House Democrats have heard the heartbreaking stories of mothers not being able to find baby formula, and today we took action,” said Rep. Gallego. “These bills take key steps to restore and increase supply without taking risks with the health of America’s infants. The FDA will uncover exactly what went wrong at Abbott Laboratories, but in the meantime, Congress is working to get mothers and caregivers access to the formula they need. The priorities of American families are always the priorities of the House Democratic majority, and I will keep fighting to strengthen our supply chain and lower costs for all Americans.”
H.R. 7790 provides FDA with the resources to prevent fraudulent products from being placed on shelves and to improve data on the infant formula marketplace. The bill also funds the balance of necessary FDA activities, strengthens the workforce focused on formula issues, and increases FDA inspection staff. H.R. 7791 will improve access to baby formula for the over 147,692 WIC participants in Arizona by lifting constrictions on the type of formula these families can buy, and permitting USDA to waive WIC’s maximum monthly allowance – significant steps given that nearly half of all infant formula bought nationwide is purchased with WIC benefits.
For the full text of H.R. 7790, click here.