Pelosi Floor Speech on Access to Baby Formula Act and Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of H.R. 7791, the Access to Baby Formula Act and H.R. 7790, the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi.Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding, for his great leadership in bringing this important legislation to the Floor, which is part of his leadership For The Children and our – America's working families in our country. And I also want to commend Congresswoman Jahana Hayes for her exceptional leadership in this regard, for talking about this issue, giving people hope that there is a solution. Not only to correct the situation for now; to make sure it doesn't happen again. Thank you, Chair – Mr. Scott for your leadership in so many ways.

Madam Speaker, today the House is taking strong action to improve access to infant formula through the Women, Infant and Children's program, also known as WIC.

This shortage has taken an especially dangerous toll on women and children from underserved communities, as about half of all infant formula sold nationwide is purchased as WIC benefits. Thanks to the tireless leadership of Congresswoman Jahana Hayes and Education Chairman Bobby Scott – Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott – we will pass legislation today to secure important flexibility for the WIC program to help vulnerable families buy infant formula in times of emergency. This action ensures WIC can respond quickly to supply chain disruptions and recalls by relaxing certain non-safety-related regulations – and in doing so, make sure America's babies get the nutrition they need right now and for the future.

At the same time, under the relentless leadership of Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro, the House will soon pass an emergency supplemental appropriations to address the shortage.

The supplemental delivers urgently needed resources to the Federal – the FDA – to take steps to restore formula supply, increase FDA's inspection staff, keep fraudulent products off the grocery shelves and better collect data on shortages in communities across the nation. It is essential that we ensure the federal government has the resources it needs to get baby formula back on the shelves. And as the President said, we want to do it quickly but we do not – we must do it safely, and we must do it with caution, so not so fast as not to be safe.

These two bills are strong steps, and Democrats will not relent in shining a bright star on this – bright light on this emergency. I'm hopeful that your legislation, Mr. Scott, Congresswoman Hayes, will be strongly bipartisan. That is my understanding, and that would be a great thing – coming together For The Children.

Additionally, Congresswoman DeLauro is having hearings tomorrow in the Appropriations Committee on this subject. Congressman – Mr. Chairman, Frank Pallone of Energy and Commerce will be holding hearings next week to learn more, and Congresswoman – Madam Chair, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of the Committee on Oversight and Reform has lost an – launched an investigation into the shortage, requesting that the four major formula manufacturers detail the steps they are taking to address this emergency. Thank you, Madam Chair, for your leadership.

When people ask me, ‘What are the three most important issues facing the Congress?' I always say the same thing: our children, our children, our children.

Their health, their education, the economic security of their families. Clean, safe, gun-violence-free environment in which they can thrive. And a world at peace in which they can reach their fulfillment. That is why ensuring our beautiful babies have the nutrition they need to grow up healthy and strong is an urgent moral imperative.

As a mother of five, grandmother of nine, I know firsthand that when a baby is crying because a baby is hungry, we want to give that baby what's best for the baby – in terms of not only satisfying the hunger, but helping with the development. And that's why this has to be safe.

Together, these two bills are the latest manifestation of our For The Children agenda, protecting the health and baby.

I just want to say also, that today the President invoked the Defense Production Act to address nationwide shortage of baby formula, and that's a good thing. It would also make available some military aircrafts to bring formula that is safe from other places to our country, to get that formula on the shelves, in the homes – For The Babies, as soon as possible.

With that – I just say, this is as personal as it gets for a family. And again, we want it all to be safe, and that's what I think this legislation – I know that this legislation is about. That's why I hope that – again, a vote for this legislation will be a vote to deprive – a vote ‘no' on this would deprive hungry babies of nutrition they need and jeopardize their future. That's why I'm so glad it will be strongly bipartisan.

With that, I urge a strong bipartisan ‘aye' on both bills For The Babies, For The Children, congratulating the – both sides of the aisle on their work on this. I yield back the balance of my time.