Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his great leadership in bringing this important legislation to the floor, which is part of his leadership for the children, America's working families, and our country.

I also commend Congresswoman Jahana Hayes for her exceptional leadership in this regard, for talking about this issue, for giving people hope that there is a solution not only to correct the situation for now but to make sure it doesn't happen again.

I thank Mr. Scott for his leadership in so many ways.

Madam Speaker, today, the House is taking strong action to improve access to infant formula through the Women, Infants, 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 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. In doing so, we make sure that 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 appropriation to address the shortage.

The supplemental delivers urgently needed resources to 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. As the President said, we want to do it quickly, but we must do it safely, and we must do it with caution, not so fast as not to be safe.

These two bills are strong steps, and Democrats will not relent in shining a bright light on this emergency.

I am hopeful that Congressman Scott's and Congresswoman Hayes' legislation will be strongly bipartisan. That is my understanding, and that would be a great thing, coming together for the children.

Additionally, Chairwoman DeLauro is having hearings tomorrow in the Appropriations Committee on this subject. Chairman Frank Pallone of the Energy and Commerce Committee will be holding hearings next week to learn more. Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of the Committee on Oversight and Reform has launched an investigation into the shortage, requesting that the four major formula manufacturers detail the steps they are taking to address this emergency. I thank her for her leadership.

When people ask me what the three most important issues facing the Congress are, I always say the same thing: our children, our children, our children--their health; their education; the economic security of their families; a 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 of urgent moral imperative.

As a mother of five and grandmother of nine, I know firsthand that when a baby is crying because a baby is hungry, we want to give that baby what is best for the baby in terms of not only satisfying the hunger but helping with the development, and that is why this has to be safe. Together, these two bills are the latest manifestation of our For the Children agenda, protecting their health and well-being.

Today, the President invoked the Defense Production Act to address nationwide shortages of baby formula, and that is a good thing. He will also make available some military aircraft 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.

I say this is as personal as it gets for a family. Again, we all want it to be safe, and that is what I know that this legislation is about. That is why a vote ``no'' on this will deprive hungry babies of nutrition they need and jeopardize their future. That is why I am so glad it will be strongly bipartisan.

I urge an ``aye'' on both bills for the babies, for the children, and I congratulate both sides of the aisle for their work on this legislation.

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