Gov. Gianforte, Governors Call on President Biden to Act on Baby Formula Shortage

• May 27 2022

HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte and 18 other governors yesterday called on President Joe Biden to act to end the baby formula shortage. The governors outlined actions the Biden administration should take to jumpstart production and distribution of formula, including targeted regulatory relief and supply chain reforms. Such actions would provide relief to the 8.2 million Americans who regularly purchase formula.

“We live in the United States where a young family shouldn’t have to struggle to find baby formula,” Gov. Gianforte said of the shortage impacting Montana families. “The Biden administration and FDA must get their house in order to fix this serious problem.”

In a letter sent to the president yesterday, Gov. Gianforte and other governors outlined steps the president should take immediately to address the nationwide baby formula shortage.

“There is perhaps no singular source of nourishment more necessary for the welfare of our nation than the nutrition provided to our infants,” Gov. Gianforte and the governors wrote.

“[W]e ask that your Administration take more aggressive action to temporarily suspend red tape that limits the importation of safe infant formula from foreign countries,” they wrote.

Specifically, the governors recommend the president immediately suspend all tariffs, quotas, and similar trade restrictions on infant formula until the crisis is abated.

They also recommend immediately updating FDA labeling standards on foreign formula.

To improve America’s domestic supply chain in the long-term, the governors recommended bringing forward structural changes to the WIC program and ordering an independent and transparent after-action report of past FDA recall orders.

“Finally, we must recognize the important partnership with retailers, producers, and non-profits that are going above and beyond to meet the challenge. We stand ready to enhance the partnership between our states and the federal government as well as the private and public sectors to assist parents in need,” the governors wrote.

“Now is the time parents need the assurance that they can provide the basic necessities for their family, and nothing is more critical than infant formula,” they concluded.

The full letter to Pres. Biden from Gov. Gianforte and 18 other governors may be viewed here.

###