WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
today announced his support for the
FORMULA
Act, recently
introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), which seeks to combat domestic baby
formula shortages by bolstering the supply chain to help families feed their
babies.
“Iowa is one of several states where half
of all baby formula was sold out at the end of April, and I’ve heard from
parents and health care providers rightfully concerned about the health and
welfare of babies and patients with special medical needs. It’s critically
important that a reliable supply of formula is reestablished immediately. The FORMULA Act will accomplish this by
removing trade and regulatory barriers to ensure infants and patients receive
the nutrition they need to survive,” Grassley
said.
Challenges in the baby formula supply
chain have caused the out-of-stock rate for formula to triple from numbers seen
six months ago. Recent shortages come in the immediate aftermath of a recall
and temporary closure of a major American formula factory, but the shortages
also highlight systemic weaknesses in this vital supply chain.
The FORMULA
Act targets supply chain disruption by temporarily waiving current
protectionist trade barriers like tariffs and quotas on importation that reduce
the supply and increase the price of available foreign-made formula. The bill
would also waive regulations that prevent the importation of safe baby formula
from abroad. This would allow American families to access safe formula
manufactured in Europe and elsewhere during the current shortage. The bill will
also allow Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program recipients to use vouchers
to purchase formula from any producer – rather than be limited to the brand or
product listed on specific vouchers which may be unavailable.
Last week, Grassley
successfully pressed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for answers on what actions
they were taking to immediately avert this dangerous shortage.
Read a summary of the
FORMULA Act HERE.
Read the full bill text
HERE.
-30-