Dear Friends,

I had the honor of joining the community and Kentucky National Guard in recognizing Sgt. John Burlew with a Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for going beyond the call of duty during an operation in Afghanistan in 2002.

Rep. Guthrie presenting the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device to Sgt. Burlew

The Kentucky National Guard veteran’s fellow soldiers approached my congressional office and me for assistance in the Bronze Star Medal process they were working on, and we were happy to help. At the medal ceremony, it was special to have Owensboro High School’s JROTC present the colors, as Sgt. John Burlew was involved in JROTC at this school before joining the Kentucky National Guard. Congratulations to Sgt. Burlew on this high honor and thank you for your service to the Commonwealth and our country.

Owensboro High School JROTC presenting the colors at the medal ceremony

Addressing the Baby Formula Crisis

Anxiously going store to store and driving hours using very expensive gasoline just to find an infant’s next meal has unfortunately been a reality for parents in the Commonwealth and across the nation for the past several months. There is no excuse to have a baby formula shortage crisis in the United States of America. As a parent and grandparent, I share parents’ frustration about the clumsy federal government response to this crisis. It is unacceptable that it took months to get a major baby formula facility running again, which had to shut down recently due to flooding from a storm.

I’m investigating and supporting bills to ensure a baby formula crisis never happens again. I introduced the More Options for Infants and Parents Act to address the current shortage and help prevent future shortages. This bill would require the FDA to immediately review all the pending baby formula submissions at the FDA to get more formula products on shelves as quickly and as safely as possible. When there is a shortage or a potential for a shortage of baby formula products, my bill would require the FDA to keep an updated list on their website of substitutes to the products facing shortages. Not all infants are able to easily switch baby formula brand. My bill takes this into account by requiring the FDA to provide a list of appropriate formula substitutes for infants with amino-acid or metabolic conditions.

Finally, this bill provides the FDA with flexibilities to waive certain labeling and nutritional requirements to get more substitute products on the shelves during a shortage. I hope this bill quickly moves through Congress and is signed into law to help ensure families never face this crisis again.

In addition to my bill, I voted for the Access to Baby Formula Act, which is now law, to give families participating in WIC flexibilities to buy any formula they find on the shelves that meets FDA standards. I also am a co-sponsor of Babies Need More Formula Now Act to create more accountability at the FDA and remove barriers to increase competition in the baby formula market.

Additionally, I am investigating the federal government’s unacceptable response to addressing baby formula shortages after issues were known about Abbott’s baby formula plant dating back to February 2021. When asked if the administration should have anticipated the baby formula shortage, President Biden said, “If we’d been better mind readers, I guess we could have…” When asked about when the White House was alerted about Abbott’s plant closing, FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. said, “early February [2022] there were communications up and down the chain” and regular communications with White House staff. However, President Biden said he did not know about the seriousness of this until April and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said she probably learned in April as well. I will continue to investigate this to ensure the response is far swifter and more coordinated in the future.

Lower Costs, Secure Medical Supply Chains, and Protecting Access to Cures

I am co-leading a package of health bills, called the FDA Act of 2022, that would lower costs for patients, secure medical supply chains to help prevent drug or device shortages, and protect access to life-saving cures. The FDA Act of 2022 recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.