Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ron Kind voted for two bills aimed at addressing the infant formula shortage, the Access to Baby Formula Act and the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act. These bills will provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the resources it needs to address the formula shortage, improve WIC participants’ access to formula products, and help prevent a crisis like this from ever happening again.

 

“This devastating infant formula shortage has left families across Wisconsin and the nation concerned that they will not be able to feed their children. We need all-hands-on-deck to get this product back on the shelves and ensure parents can access the safe, affordable formula they need,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “That’s why today I voted to ensure the FDA has the resources it needs to address this crisis and help provide urgent relief for struggling families.”

The Access to Baby Formula Act will grant the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the authority to waive certain requirements so that vulnerable families can continue purchasing safe infant formula with their WIC benefits during extenuating circumstances, such as a public health emergency or supply chain disruption. The bill will also ensure that WIC participants are better protected during a product recall.

The Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act is a supplemental appropriations bill that will provide the FDA with $28 million in funding to prevent fraudulent products from being placed on shelves and to help acquire better data on the infant formula marketplace. The legislation also funds the balance of necessary FDA activities, strengthens the workforce focused on formula issues, and increases FDA inspection staff.

 

Additionally, earlier this week Rep. Kind joined a letter urging the Biden Administration to continue its whole of government response to get infant and specialty formula back on the shelves and treat these products as a priority in broader supply chain resilience efforts.

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