Washington, D.C. - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) issued the following statement regarding the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent report on the baby formula crisis:

“Nearly a year after the nationwide infant formula shortage reached crisis levels, the Biden administration refuses to acknowledge its role in failing to prevent-or even properly respond to-the disaster. Rather, the FDA’s newly released strategy places the blame on parents and their purchasing habits as well as market trends-not the FDA’s inaction. It is not the fault of moms and dads who faced great uncertainty to feed their babies and were forced to drive hours to find the formula they needed.

“The FDA’s failure to acknowledge its months-long delay in action after warning signals of looming threats to our nation formula supply is unacceptable. This mismanagement is rampant across FDA’s food centers, and we will not reward failure with additional power and authorities that the administration has requested in this report or in the President’s unserious Budget Request.

“Families deserve better, and Energy and Commerce Republicans will continue to hold this administration accountable while seeking solutions that will prevent a nationwide formula shortage from occurring again."

NOTE:

On Sept. 21, 2022, Energy and Commerce Republicans, led by Rep. Tim Walberg, convinced Committee Democrats to pass a bipartisan resolution that requests the Biden administration turn over documents related to the baby shortage documents. H.Res. 1287 was reported out of the committee by a vote of 54-0.

Previously, Chair Rodgers, along with Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), requested that the Food and Drug Administration turn over memos and reports related to the baby formula shortage.