Lawmakers are throwing nearly every tool in their arsenal, including a proposed $28 million in taxpayer dollars, at the baby formula shortage. But it isn’t clear how quickly those solutions will result in cans on grocery store shelves.
The shortage is dire — right now, roughly 40 percent of infant formula is missing from shelves in the United States. And while new actions announced by the Food and Drug Administration on Monday night will help stem the shortage, it may take up to two months to see a difference.
On Tuesday, House appropriators led by Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., introduced a $28 million emergency supplemental bill to help the FDA address the infant formula shortage and prevent future shortages. Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., said the House would debate the rule for the baby formula supplemental Wednesday and debate and vote on it Thursday.
