Harder Backs New $28 Million Emergency Funding Bill to Address the Infant Formula Shortage

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Josh Harder backed new $28 million emergency funding legislation to address the infant formula shortage. The new funds will give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the resources it needs to address the urgent infant formula shortage and help prevent it from ever happening again. The bill will go through the Appropriations Committee, of which Rep. Harder is a member.

Rep. Harder and his wife, Pam, recently welcomed their baby daughter Lily into the world. This month, like so many families in the Valley, they joined a waitlist after failing to find baby formula available for purchase. 

“As a parent of a newborn daughter, I can’t believe it’s gotten to this point. No parent in America should have to join a waitlist in order to keep their baby fed,” said Rep. Harder. “It’s time to put this $28 million emergency funding bill on President Biden’s desk so we can address this crisis and make sure it never happens again.”

­The emergency funding bill will provide the FDA with the resources to prevent fraudulent products from being placed on shelves and to help acquire better data on the infant formula marketplace. This bill also funds the balance of necessary FDA activities, strengthens the workforce focused on formula issues, and increases FDA inspection staff.

The full text of the legislation is online here.

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