Amid the alarming shortage of baby formula gripping the nation, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) this week pushed for new legislation—the Formula Act of 2022 (H.R. 7718)—intended to bolster the U.S. infant formula supply and help strengthen its resilience to supply chain disruptions to prevent a future crisis.
“As millions of American families scramble to feed their infants, President Biden has failed to take effective action to resolve this life-or-death crisis and ensure parents have access to this critical source of nutrition,” said Rep. Smith.
The bill that Smith cosponsored would direct Biden’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to agree to an international standard for baby formula with the intent to increase importation and boost domestic supply. The United States does not currently import foreign infant formula because the FDA does not have interchangeable standards in place to ensure foreign formula complies with U.S. health code and regulations.
“This critical legislation will cut bureaucratic red tape exacerbating this dire shortage and reinforce our domestic supply of infant formula to ensure it is able to withstand future shocks,” said Smith.
Recent reports indicate the stock of baby formula in stores across the U.S. was down more than 40 percent due to ongoing supply chain disruptions compounded by a safety recall, leaving many pharmacy and supermarket shelves empty and parents desperate.
Earlier this week, Smith also joined 105 House colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden and FDA Commissioner Robert Califf urging the Administration to take immediate, meaningful action to resolve the crisis and provide greater transparency on efforts to increase the supply of baby formula.
Millions of babies in the United States rely on formula as their only recommended source of nutrition.
So, Congressman Smith wants to solve this problem by importing baby formula from foreign countries with no way of ensuring it is safe to give our babies? Blaming President Biden seems unfair. Two events led to this problem: supply chain slowdown due to the pandemic; and a major American distributor of the baby formula recalling it’s product after people began complaining it was contaminated.
Per Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL), there are PALLETTES of baby formula that the Biden White House is shipping to southern border warehouses (such as the Ursula processing center) for ILLEGAL ALIENS!
Think about it: The BIDEN White House puts the ILLEGAL ALIENS ahead of American mothers. Just terrible!!!
Congressman Smith, I applaud your efforts to increase the supply of baby formula, but I’m concerned about importing formulas that might not be safe.
Let’s hope this proposed legislation is not a formula for disaster, pun intended, of course.
I’m a big time supporter of yours, and I’m glad that you’re trying to solve this dire problem. I’m just concerned about imported baby formulas; it doesn’t appear to me to be as safe as other food imports.
Wishing you the best, congressman.
Congresswoman Kat Cammack’s allegations are completely false. Another product of the GOP Lying Machine.
How about the FDA allowing the largest formula plant in the country to re-open since they have known for over a month it was not the cause of infection.
It is a pre-planned concerted effort to destroy the United States