Washington, D.C. – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, celebrated U.S. Senate passage of the Access to Baby Formula Act, his legislation to address the baby formula shortage for families who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

“Baby formula shortages have caused needless stress for Colorado parents and guardians trying to keep their kids fed and healthy,” said Bennet. “Now, families who rely on the WIC program can purchase baby formula as soon as it’s on the shelf. As the crisis continues, I’ll continue to work with my colleagues to improve access to this vital source of nutrition for families in Colorado and across the country.”

The WIC program provides information on healthy eating and helps millions of families buy nutritious foods including baby formula. The Access to Baby Formula Act gives the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) the authority to be more flexible during a crisis such as a natural disaster, public health emergency, or recall and shortage. This flexibility would ensure that the brand or type of formula families can buy isn’t restricted by program rules, allowing families to purchase the best formula for their child that is available in the store. In addition, the legislation would require formula manufacturers that provide formula for WIC babies to have a plan in place to respond to a shortage so that families will be able to purchase the formula they need.

Last week, Bennet joined over 30 of his Senate Democratic colleagues to push infant formula manufacturers to make every effort possible to get parents and families the formula they need to feed their kids.  

In addition to Bennet, this legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

U.S. Representatives Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), and Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

More than 250 national, regional, and local child nutrition advocates support the Access to Baby Formula Act, including four organizations in Colorado: Clayton Early Learning, Colorado Children’s Campaign, Family Voices CO, and Raise Colorado Coalition.

The bill text is available HERE. A summary of the bill is available HERE.