After criticizing President Biden for not doing enough to address the baby formula shortage, House GOP leaders were among the 192 Republicans who voted against giving the Food and Drug Administration $28 million in aid. This was just days after Biden was criticized for not doing enough.
The House approved the measure to provide new FDA funding on a largely party-line vote of 231 to 192. Still, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, and Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York abstained. Twelve Republicans betrayed their party and backed the funding with the Democrats.
Democrats would shamelessly use recalls to their political gain if the infant formula shortage was allowed to continue. Four of Wisconsin’s five Republican U.S. House representatives explained on Thursday why they had opposed a $28 million baby formula bill the day before.
On Wednesday night, the House voted on two bills about baby formula. The first measure, which expanded the types of procedures that families eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC benefits) could use, was supported by just nine members, all Republicans, and was passed with nearly unanimous support.
The U.S. Senate approved that legislation on Thursday with a unanimous voice vote, enabling WIC families to purchase baby formula from various suppliers.
Wisconsin’s House Republicans voted against the second bill, even though they all supported the WIC expansion bill. The Food and Drug Administration receives an additional $28 million thanks to that legislation.
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United States Imports
As the United States imports more infant formula from other nations to make up for supply shortages caused by a recall at an Abbott plant in Michigan and ongoing supply chain problems, the bill would permit the FDA to hire more staff, specifically inspectors.
The House approved the bill with the support of 12 Republicans, 231-192. The entire GOP delegation from Wisconsin voted against the bill. The four Republican members of Congress who responded to queries from 27 News on Thursday all shared the opinion that the FDA didn’t require additional funding.
We had the chance to cooperate across party lines to find a solution to this crisis. During the House discussion on Wednesday, she stated that “unfortunately, the text we’re considering today hasn’t been agreed upon by all sides.”
Third Rank House Republication
The third-ranking House Republican, Stefanik, made the matter personal during a news conference last week.
As a recent mother, Stefanik, whose baby was born in August, acknowledged “the seriousness of this situation.” She said that she and other Republican members were pressing the FDA and the Biden administration to take action because they “should have had a plan for this shortage months ago.” Instead, Bare Shelves Biden keeps shifting blame.
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The 192 Republicans who opposed the bill, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), are the latest illustration of the party’s unwillingness to confront the issues that are most important to Americans.Nine Republicans against a bill in congressional republican voted that would help lower-income women secure baby formula for their children.
Baby formula shortages solve problems republicans abandoned
During her weekly news conference, she stated that “we consider a baby formula as something that is at the dinner table.” Therefore, “we believe that there is no comparison” between Democrats and Republicans from the perspective of the kitchen table.
12 Republicans broke ranks with their fellow party members by having a soul.
Agher (R-Green Bay) argued that the FDA’s failings should have been addressed months earlier by the White House.”This crisis didn’t happen because the FDA didn’t have enough money for staff, “In a statement, Gallagher stated. “Significant supply chain problems and fundamental weaknesses at the FDA that the Biden administration took months to solve caused this crisis to boil over. Democrats address the shortage by throwing additional money at the FDA.
The lone Wisconsin representative who chose not to comment on his vote on Thursday was Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Clyman).
Democrats countered that more inspectors are required. In a press conference earlier this week, the White House named Chile, Ireland, and the Netherlands as nations from which the United States is looking to purchase additional infant formula.
The Republican talking point of the moment for the past two weeks has been the shortage of infant formula, which was mostly brought on by a confluence of supply chain issues connected to the pandemic and the former president’s trade agreement* cobbled together with Canada. They might show concern for the post-born while celebrating their impending victory over the pre-born. (Scott Lemieux at LG&M reminds us of Barney Frank’s famous quip that the GOP considers birth to be the beginning of life and conception to be the end of it.) Not that they had any plans to take action, mind you. Therefore, when the president took the initiative, their concern for starving American babies vanished.
Consider Rep. Elise Stefanik, the gift of tremendous hypocrisy from upper New York. She dubbed Democrats “pedo grifters” in her now-famous defamatory Tweet due to her clumsy manipulation of the formula shortage. Stefanik cast a yes vote on the legislation on Thursday. Are you kidding, I ask?
The “Babies Need More Formula Now Act,” sponsored by Stefanik, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), and other House Republican women, aims to make it simpler for American parents to import baby formula from foreign countries. Stefanik wrote in a tweet on Wednesday that “Joe Biden’s failing leadership is to blame for America’s infant formula catastrophe.”
Baby formula shortage
According to Utah’s governor, the federal government’s monumental failure caused a baby formula shortage.
In a tweet, Stewart claimed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California barred Republicans from participating in negotiations in good faith to resolve the infant formula situation. He claimed that the law does not mandate that the FDA create a strategy, account for excess supplies, or use current transportation resources for baby formula.
Republicans actively working for emergency funding
In addition to the fact that money is not a concern for the FDA, Curtis claimed that the bill would divert Congress’ attention away from actual remedies. He said the FDA had obtained a $102 million budget increase, including $11 million for nutrition and mother and infant health.
“FDA is sitting on a surplus of money, and giving money to a federal agency won’t solve a supply chain issue that the FDA itself largely caused. We now know that the FDA knew about this problem when it started but did nothing to stop the shortage,’ Curtis added. Instead, “we need to collaborate across the aisle to develop ways that get more baby formula on the shelves and stop anything like this from happening again.”
Members of Congress from Utah have presented their legislation to address the scarcity of infant formula while rejecting additional federal spending.