BREAKING: Senate Unanimously Passes Bipartisan Bill to Address Baby Formula Shortage
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today applauded the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Access to Baby Formula Act. This bipartisan legislation, cosponsored by Senators Shaheen and Hassan, will require formula manufacturers to plan for shortages and make sure moms and babies who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) have the formula they need. The bill will now go to President Biden for signature.
“I remember what it was like to be a mom with children on formula – that’s why I’m committed to making sure that families have access to the formula they need to feed their kids. I’m glad Congress acted so swiftly and unanimously today to take action to address this urgent crisis, ensuring that families who rely on WIC have access to nutrition for children,” said Senator Shaheen. “This bill will also hold formula manufacturers accountable moving forward and prevent future shortages and supply disruptions so we don’t find ourselves in a formula emergency like this again. I look forward to President Biden’s signature so we can deliver help as quickly as possible to families in crisis.”
“This bipartisan bill is one step in our efforts to get parents the formula that their babies desperately need, and I’m pleased that we quickly sent this bill to the President’s desk to become law,” said Senator Hassan. “Our legislation will require baby formula manufacturers to prepare for shortages and remove barriers for families in need to purchase formula. I will keep pressing the administration and formula manufacturers to quickly address the shortage that families are experiencing.”
Yesterday, Senators Shaheen and Hassan joined a letter urging President Joe Biden to immediately assign a coordinator within the White House on infant formula to address the shortage and implement a national strategy to increase the resilience of the infant formula supply chain and protect against future contamination and shortages. Following Senator Hassan’s calls, the Biden administration announced that it is invoking the Defense Production Act and increasing imports from other countries to address the baby formula shortage.
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