Chair of Senate HELP Committee Stays Silent on Crisis Harming Families and Children
Washington, D.C. – As the out-of-stock baby formula rates surge to 70% nationwide, the Chairwoman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee has been silent for 78 days.
Sen. Murray has been in office for 30 years so one would think she would use her seniority to make things happen in Washington for Washingtonians. She chairs the committee that has direct oversight over the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency in charge of overseeing this crisis. Murray could have used her position to hold hearings, hold press conferences, and demand the FDA take action to get out front before supply issues became a supply crisis. Murray could have also worked with the private sector to incentivize other manufacturers to increase production to fill the void. However, Murray did nothing.
Below is a timeline of Murray’s failure to represent the needs of Washington families in this emergency:
- September 20, 2021: In a report to the FDA, an infant that used formula manufactured by Abbott became ill with a bacterial infection. (NBC News, “Federal Government Uses Defense Production Act For the Third Time This Week,” May 27, 2022)
- October 21, 2021: A whistleblower sent the FDA a letter outlining violations and falsified records at the Abbott formula plant. (NBC News, “Federal Government Uses Defense Production Act For the Third Time This Week,” May 27, 2022)
- January 31, 2022: The FDA investigates the allegations at the Abbott facility and found evidence of bacteria in the infant formula. (NBC News, “Federal Government Uses Defense Production Act For the Third Time This Week,” May 27, 2022)
- February 17, 2022: Abbott issues a recall of its formula. (NBC News, “Federal Government Uses Defense Production Act For the Third Time This Week,” May 27, 2022)
- February 24, 2022: Four months after the whistleblower report, nearly a month after the FDA started its investigation, and a full week after the recall was made, Senators Murray and Bob Casey (D-PA) finally sent a letter to the FDA expressing concern over the contamination of baby formula at Abbott. However, contrary to Murray’s public statements since, their letter DID NOT address the likely prospect of a formula supply shortage and contingency plans to replenish supplies on store shelves. (U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Press Release, “Murray, Casey Demand Answers Following Abbott Recall of Contaminated Infant Formula,” February 24, 2022).
- May 13, 2022: After 78 days of silence following her initial letter to the FDA and after weeks of national headlines and outrage over the growing baby formula crisis, Murray finally addresses the emergency, calling for formula manufacturers to address the supply shortage. Over this 78-day period, several of Murray’s Democratic colleagues, including members of her own HELP Committee, expressed concerns over the supplies of baby formula. Murray remained silent until May 13th. (U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Press Release, “Murray, Casey, Democrats Push Infant Formula Manufacturers To Address Crisis, Get Formula On Shelves ASAP,” May 13, 2022)
In her 78 days of silence, Patty Murray failed Washington families and children when they needed her most.
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