May 16, 2022
Dear Senators and Members of Congress,
Independent Women’s Voice, which fights to enhance people’s freedom, opportunities and well-being, supports the Fixing Our Regulatory Mayhem Upsetting Little Americans (FORMULA) Act, introduced by Senator Mike Lee.
New parents are facing an unprecedented baby formula shortage in our country right now. Currently, 43% of baby formula inventory is out of supply nationwide, up from 18% at the start of 2022 and 3% from 2021.
This is a crisis of life or death for our littlest Americans: three out of four babies below the age of six months consume infant formula, and some have dietary restrictions that require specialized formulas which are even more difficult to track down right now.
The FORMULA Act addresses this crisis by placing a temporary 6-month moratorium on government policies that needlessly obstruct parents from accessing the nutritional sources their babies need. Specifically, the bill 1) waives tariffs on infant formulas from certain countries; 2) exempts infant formulas from FDA requirements; and 3) gives WIC recipients access to alternative formulas. During this stressful time, these are common sense reforms that will help ensure parents that can provide for their children.
In addition to the infant formula shortage, parents are also facing higher formula prices. Sadly, many elites in government are shockingly unaware of this reality and the impact it has on families. As inflation continues to surge, parenthood is more expensive than ever. In addition to boosting access to infant formula, policymakers must focus their efforts on slowing inflation.
In sum, we cannot sit idly by while parents grow even more helpless to feed their babies. We thank Senator Lee for his leadership on this important issue and urge all Senators and Members of Congress to support this proposed legislation if it comes to the floor for a vote.
Respectfully,
Hadley Heath Manning
Director of Policy
Independent Women’s Voice