Congresswoman Ross Votes to Relieve Baby Formula Shortage
Press Release
Last night, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) helped pass two bills to address the critical infant formula shortage by improving families' access to formula in the short-term, as well as by putting measures in place to prevent this crisis from happening again.
Congresswoman Ross voted to pass H.R. 7790, a supplemental funding bill which will provide urgently needed resources to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help address the shortage, increase the number of FDA inspection staff, and help the agency stop fraudulent baby formula from entering the marketplace. Additionally, Congresswoman Ross was an original cosponsor of H.R. 7791, the Access to Baby Formula Act, which would allow families to use Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits to purchase formula.
"Parents and caretakers across North Carolina are terrified that they will not be able to provide basic nutrition for their babies," said Congresswoman Ross. "This formula shortage is a national crisis, and we must work together across the aisle and at all levels of government to find a solution and find it now. The House has already passed two measures to ensure that FDA has the tools it needs to get safe formula to families and increase flexibility for parents and caregivers using WIC benefits to purchase formula. I'm pleased the White House and the Attorney General here in North Carolina have also taken steps to address the crisis, but we cannot stop until every child has access to the nutrition they need."
In addition to these bills, earlier this week Congresswoman Ross joined more than 150 of her colleagues in a letter urging the Biden Administration to continue its whole of government response to the formula shortage and to treat these products as a priority in their broader supply chain resilience efforts.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has warned against scammers attempting to deceive consumers during this baby formula recall. Individuals who believe they are the victims of a scam can file a complaint here.
Source