Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) today applauded the passage of the bipartisan Access to Baby Formula Act, to 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 unanimously passed the Senate yesterday. The companion bill passed the House by a 414-9 vote. The bill will now go to President Biden for his signature.
“It’s essential that low-income families and all families with babies across New Jersey and the nation have consistent access to baby formula,” said Sen. Menendez. “This bill will ensure that babies have the food and nutrition they need despite a natural disaster, a public health emergency, a recall, or nationwide shortage, helping to prevent the situation that many families face today from ever happening again. I’m glad we were able to get this done swiftly in a bipartisan manner and look forward to the President’s signature.”
“As the infant formula shortage causes immense difficulties for our nation’s families and our most vulnerable kids, including children who count on the WIC program, passing this bipartisan, bicameral legislation was urgently important,” said Sen. Booker. “This bill gives USDA the important flexibility it needs to respond to the crisis, makes it easier for parents using WIC to be able to feed their children during this shortage, and better prepares the system to deal with any future recalls or supply chain difficulties more effectively.”
The WIC program provides information on healthy eating and helps millions of families buy nutritious foods including baby formula. This legislation gives the USDA the authority they need to be more flexible during a crisis such as a natural disaster, public health emergency, or recall and shortage currently facing our country. This flexibility would ensure that the brand or type of formula families can buy isn’t restricted by program rules, allowing families to purchase whatever is available in the store. In addition, the legislation would require that formula manufacturers that provide formula or WIC babies have a plan in place to respond to a shortage so that families will be able to purchase the formula they need.
The Access to Baby Formula Act is supported by more than 250 national, regional, and local child nutrition advocates.
In addition to Sens. Menendez and Booker, the bill is cosponsored by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Chairwoman on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and John Boozman (R-Ariz.), Ranking Member, as well as Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Angus King (I-Maine), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Krysten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).