U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) joined 105 of their GOP colleagues in urging the president and his administration to meaningfully address the nation’s ongoing baby formula shortage.
“Parents are understandably frustrated and scared by this shortage,” the lawmakers wrote in a May 11 letter sent to President Joe Biden and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf. “House Republicans call on the administration to do more to help parents across this country. This issue is a matter of life and death, and it is time this administration treats it with the appropriate urgency it deserves.”
The lawmakers pointed out that CVS, Walgreens, and Target are among the stores putting limits on how much formula customers can buy at one time, a situation that requires immediate attention, according to Rep. McMorris Rodgers, who led the letter.
“Moms and dads should be able to walk into the grocery store and find the formula their baby needs. They shouldn’t have to drive hours paying record-high gas prices — only to find more empty shelves,” Rep. McMorris Rodgers said during a May 12 press conference. “President Biden and the FDA can and must do more.”
In their letter, the lawmakers request data on the formula shortage, as well as answers about what the administration is doing to address it.
“With this letter, my colleagues and I can get answers we need from the FDA regarding how the Abbott facility in west Michigan can resume operations,” Rep. Meijer said. “The ongoing shortage has affected parents across west Michigan and is a threat to the well-being of babies across the country.”
For instance, Rep. McMorris Rodgers, Rep. Meijer, and their colleagues want to know how a recent announcement by the FDA to help mitigate the shortage will work, as well as what the FDA thinks is causing the shortage of infant formula, according to their letter.
Additionally, the lawmakers asked about what outreach has been made by the administration to hospital pediatric units to determine if they have enough baby and specialty formula in reserve for emergency situations, among other questions.
“I’m proud to join Representative McMorris Rodgers and more than 100 of my House Republican colleagues in demanding that President Biden move swiftly to get safe production of baby formula back up and running,” said Rep. Meijer.