Both houses of Congress on Sept. 29 passed a bipartisan bill supported by U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) that would temporarily waive tariffs on infant formula base powder. The fast-tracked measure now heads to the president to be signed into law.
The Bulk Infant Formula to Retail Shelves Act, H.R. 8982, introduced on Sept. 26 by U.S. Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and a bipartisan contingent of 25 original cosponsors, would amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporary duty rates on imports of certain infant formula base powder used to manufacture infant formula in the U.S., according to the bill’s text.
Sen. Young and his colleagues, U.S. Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), spearheaded efforts to get H.R. 8982 approved in their chamber to help domestic manufacturers increase their production and ease the nation’s formula crisis.
The enacted legislation will build upon the Formula Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in July to provide duty-free treatment to infant formula through Dec. 31, 2022. Formula companies have said that the tariff relief played a major role in their ability to bring more formula to the U.S., according to information provided by Sen. Young’s office.
“We’ve made significant progress in alleviating the American formula crisis, but there’s still work to do,” Sen. Young and his Senate colleagues said in a joint statement released on Sept. 30. “The Bulk Infant Formula to Retail Shelves Act targets another critical component of formula availability by temporarily waiving tariffs on infant formula base powder.”
“This bill will help domestic manufacturers increase their formula production, and ensure that American babies don’t go unfed,” the senators said.