Burr Demands FDA Accountability Over Infant Formula Failures

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), sent a letter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf condemning FDA’s severely inadequate internal review and continued failure to answer for its role in the devastating infant formula shortage.

In May, Senator Burr released a “timeline of failure” detailing the FDA and Biden Administration’s part in creating the infant formula crisis.

“The infant formula crisis impacted families across this nation, with nationwide out-of-stock rates of formula reaching greater than 40 percent, while statewide out-of-stock rates soared to as high as 89 percent,” Senator Burr noted. “FDA is responsible for regulating infant formula, yet when the public depended on its expertise, the FDA failed.”

The letter continues, “Before FDA can get one more dollar, it needs to show more responsibility and accountability—namely, that the agency can be responsible stewards of the expansive authorities and significant funding Congress has already provided and that it will hold itself accountable for its own mistakes.”

“I cannot support rewarding FDA with additional resources after a failure of this magnitude, especially when this report demonstrates that the agency does not take accountability seriously,” warned Senator Burr. “Parents across the country should never again face the fear and panic of another formula shortage.”

You can read the complete letter here.