President Biden is invoking the Defense Production Act to require suppliers to direct needed resources to infant formula manufacturers, the administration announced on Wednesday.
The president also announced the creation of Operation Fly Formula, which directs the Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA to use Defense Department planes to import formula from abroad.
Biden said Wednesday that he has directed his team “to do everything possible to ensure there’s enough safe baby formula and that it’s quickly reaching families that need it the most. This is one of my top priorities.”
Seventh District Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger has been pushing the administration to take these steps for several days.
“I am glad the administration is listening to the concerns of Virginia parents during this crisis,” Spanberger said. “We need to keep taking actions that will get more formula on the shelves — and until then, we cannot be satisfied with our progress. In addition to invoking the DPA, I’m continuing to press the administration and industry leaders to cut more red tape, get any closed facilities up and running, and increase imports of safe baby formula from other countries. Virginia parents and babies do not have time for delays when it comes to addressing this shortage.”
The House of Representatives was also busy on the baby formula front on Wednesday, advancing two pieces of legislation to help combat the shortage.
H.R. 7790, the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022, would provide $28 million in emergency funding to give the FDA the resources it needs to address the urgent infant formula shortage. This funding will help 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.
H.R. 7791, the Access to Baby Formula Act, would provide flexibility for low-income families, so that they can continue purchasing safe infant formula with their WIC benefits during extenuating circumstances, such as a supply chain disruption.
“No parent should ever have to wonder how they will feed their child,” Fourth District Congressman A. Donald McEachin said. “The shortage has taken a particularly dangerous toll on vulnerable women and children throughout the country who already struggle to cover these costs. As a father, I know how important it is to provide for and nourish our children, which is why I voted to pass this legislation to provide much-needed flexibilities and help deliver on WIC’s promise to provide families in need with the nutrition necessary for children to live and develop.”
Read H.R. 7790 bill text here and more information on H.R. 7791 here.
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