House passes bills to address baby formula shortage

Washington — The House of Representatives passed two bills to address the nationwide baby formula shortage Wednesday night as families continue to face bare shelves across the nation.

One measure would help enable recipients to buy formula by giving the Agriculture secretary the permanent flexibility to waive certain requirements the special supplemental nutrition program for poorer women, infants and children, known as WIC, that limit the brands and quantities of formula that WIC recipients may purchase. It passed with a large bipartisan majority of 414 to 9.

The bill would also require that formula manufacturers to have contingency plans for protecting against disruptions in supply in the event of a recall.