Pirate's Cove

This should solve it, right? The problem the White House says they knew about and were working on since February?

House Democrats release $28M bill to address baby formula shortage

House Democrats on Tuesday proposed an emergency funding bill that would give the Food and Drug Administration $28 million to address the nationwide baby formula shortage.

Why it matters: The bill intends to give the FDA funds to increase its staff to help inspect baby formula before it arrives on grocery store shelves and to prepare for potential future shortages. (snip)

Driving the news: The House Democrats’ new bill — titled the ‘‘Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022’’ — will look “to address the shortage of infant formula and certain medical foods in the United States.”

So, it doesn’t actually increase production now? Just creates more government employees? Here’s what the vote result looks like

Here are the Republicans who bucked the party on baby formula bills

A handful of Republican lawmakers bucked their party on Wednesday in votes on two separate bills aiming to address the nationwide baby formula shortage causing rising concern for parents across the country.

The main bill, dubbed the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act, passed in a 231-192 vote that mainly broke along party lines. Four Republicans and one Democrat did not vote.

Twelve Republicans voted for it, and, this seems to be the focus of so many Credentialed Media pieces. I mean, who wouldn’t want to vote for babies, right? (unless it’s about abortion, then Dems are happy to vote to kill the unborn)

Earlier on Wednesday, Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) sent a memo to all House GOP offices recommending that members vote against the legislation. He argued that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) brought up the bill “in hopes of covering up the administration’s ineptitude by throwing additional money at the FDA with no plan to actually fix the problem, all while failing to hold the FDA accountable.”

It doesn’t actually fix the problem. It’s just a measure to say “we’re doing something!” without doing something, so the news media can say Democrats are trying to help.

The House on Wednesday also passed the Access to Baby Formula Act in a 414-9 vote that was largely bipartisan. Five Republicans and one Democrat did not vote.

The bill calls for permanently relaxing restrictions on the kinds of baby formula that individuals in the federal low-income assistance program for women, children and infants are allowed to purchase. The program is formally known as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly referred to as the WIC program.

Well, this might help in the future. Not right now with the shortage.

(Fox News) House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., proposed Wednesday a GOP bill to address the shortage, the Babies Need More Fomula Now Act. That bill would increase the supply of baby formula by lifting restrictions on the importation of infant formula and reducing barriers to innovation by new brands.

It’s slightly better, since it would mean baby formula could be imported, since it is extremely restricted at the moment. At best, it would be a month or more before product could arrive in the U.S.

Just now, President Biden announced two additional actions – invoking the Defense Production Act and launching Operation Fly Formula – to speed up the import of infant formula and get more formula to stores as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/4Ss9H2T7BO

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 18, 2022

Fly formula? Huh-what? Couldn’t they come up with a better name? But, I’ll give him credit, the plan could work

(The Hill) Additionally, the White House said Biden is launching “Operation Fly Formula” that will involve the federal government using Defense Department commercial aircraft to pick up baby formula from overseas that meets U.S. standards to get it quickly to American shelves.

Of course, Team Brandon had months to Do Something. The question now is “how much from overseas meets U.S. standards?” And “how much is actually available?”