Rep. Susie Lee Votes to Pass Two Bills to Urgently Address Infant Formula Shortage

Press Release

Today, Rep. Lee voted to pass two bills that will improve families' access to infant formula, ensure every baby has the nutrition they need to live and develop, and prevent this crisis from potentially happening again.

"As the mother of two children, I can understand the panic of parents who are confronted by empty shelves as they try to find safe and affordable baby formula for their children. And in Las Vegas, where we have the largest shortage in the country, more parents are confronting this horrendous pain," said Rep. Lee. "It's simple: parents need to feed their kids. That's why I voted to grant emergency authority to the WIC program to address supply chain disruptions and recalls, and to grant the FDA $28 million in emergency funding to address this shortage and guarantee it never happens again. I remember when my children were infants, and there is no more important time in a child's development. Our families urgently need support, and I will continue to take the necessary action to ensure that every child across the country can grow up healthy."

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.

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. 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 or recalls. 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.

In February 2022, an Abbott Nutrition facility recalled several infant formula products (including Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to consumers not to use these recalled products.

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