Rep. Wilson Updates Floridians on Action to Address Infant Formula Shortage

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24) updated Floridians on the actions she and the Biden Administration have taken to ensure that there is enough safe infant formula and that it is quickly reaching families that need it.

"Two weeks ago, concerns from Florida families about the difficulty of finding formula they needed to keep their kids nourished and healthy rang loudly across our communities. With so many parents, caretakers, and families depending on formula --supply disruptions like this one have caused serious anxieties," said Congresswoman Wilson. "Among the families most affected are those who depend on WIC whose supply was most strained. I'm proud to announce that we've heard these concerns and worked to address this issue by empowering the President to utilize emergency authority to take action."

Last week, Congresswoman Wilson helped pass legislation that granted emergency authority to the WIC program to address supply chain disruptions and recalls. This legislation, which President Biden has signed into law, empowers the federal government to waive non-safety-related regulations to get nutrition into the mouths of America's babies.

Congresswoman Wilson also cosponsored and voted to approve legislation that provides $28 million in emergency funding for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to address the current shortage and prevent one like it from ever happening again.

"This weekend, the first flights of formula have begun arriving in the United States to immediately alleviate the shortage and our federal regulators are working in concert with manufactures to safely increase domestic production," stated Congresswoman Wilson. "This is about more than just feeding our youngest, it's about bringing peace of mind to parents and caretakers around the country and acting expeditiously to resolve this now and into the future."

Made possible by the responsive legislative action taken by House Democrats, the Biden Administration is currently:

* Using Department of Defense aircraft to pick up overseas infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards, so it can get to store shelves faster;
* Working with infant formula manufacturers to increase production domestically and abroad, and prioritize product lines that are of greatest need, particularly specialty formulas;
* Invoking authorities under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to ensure that manufacturers have the necessary ingredients to make safe, healthy infant formula here at home;
* Cutting red tape to increase the supply of safe, high-quality formula through increased imports;
Engaging with Abbott Nutrition to ensure its closed facility can reopen safely.

Source