Dear Colleague on the Baby Formula Shortage

Dear Democratic Colleague,

It is unconscionable and tragic that, right now, families cannot find safe, affordable baby formula to keep their children healthy and growing. The shortage has taken an especially dangerous toll on women and children from underserved communities: about half of infant formula sold nationwide is purchased with WIC (Women, Infant and Children) benefits, which restrict the types of formulas that recipients can buy.

Ensuring that every precious baby has the nutrition that he or she needs is a matter of the baby's life and development. While it is essential that we ensure that this issue never happens again, right now the babies are crying and the babies are hungry – so we must take urgent action to protect their health and well-being.

Thanks to the leadership of Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott, next week the House will bring up on suspension a bill to grant emergency authority to the WIC program to address supply chain disruptions and recalls. Doing so will empower the federal government to relax certain non-safety-related regulations during times of shortage so that we can get nutrition into the mouths of America's babies. With this step, we maintain our laser focus on protecting the health and well-being of our babies – now and for the rest of their lives.

At the same time, Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro of the Appropriations Committee is holding a hearing next week and planning to bring to the Floor an Emergency Supplemental Appropriation to immediately address the infant formula shortage. And the following week, Chairman Frank Pallone of the Energy and Commerce Committee will hold another hearing as we continue shining a bright light on this urgent issue and explore further actions the Congress could take. We must ensure that a baby formula shortage never happens again.

The baby formula emergency also serves as a critical reminder of the urgent need to invest in strengthening our supply chains. This past week, the Congress began bipartisan and bicameral work to assemble our final America COMPETES legislation, which will deliver transformative investments to reduce disruptions and lower costs for the essential goods American families need. For American families and the American economy, it is vital that we get this cost-cutting, supply chain package to the President's desk.

Also next week, the House will take further action to lower costs for American families. Our gas price gouging bill will empower the President to issue an Energy Emergency Proclamation making it unlawful to increase gas and home energy prices in an exploitative or excessive way.

Thank you for your committed and ongoing leadership For The Children.

NANCY