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Washington, DC – U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) voted today for H.R. 7790, a supplemental appropriations bill to provide $28 million in emergency funding to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the resources it needs to address the urgent infant formula shortage and help prevent it from ever happening again.

“Parents across the United States have spent the last few weeks searching desperately for formula to feed their newborn children. The supply chain disruptions and formula shortage disproportionately affect women and children from underserved communities: about half of infant formula sold nationwide is purchased with WIC (Women, Infant and Children) benefits, which restrict the types of formulas that recipients can buy. I know that this shortage is also disproportionately affecting families in Texas-28. That is why, at the federal level, we are acting immediately,” said Congressman Cuellar, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Specifically, this bill will restore the baby formula supply by assisting the FDA with quality standards checks at the Abbott facility and ensure that this disruption does not happen again.”

This bill provides FDA with the resources to prevent fraudulent products from being placed on shelves and to help acquire better data on the infant formula marketplace. This bill also funds the balance of necessary FDA activities, strengthens the workforce focused on formula issues, and increases FDA inspection staff. 

The full text of the legislation is here.

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