TYLER, Texas — An East Texas representative voted against two bills brought before the House of Representatives aimed at combatting the national baby formula shortage.
According to CBS News, the bills were passed by the House as families continue searching for alternative ways to keep their babies fed.
CBS News reports one of those measures would give the agriculture secretary flexibility to waive WIC requirements limiting brands and the amount of formula recipients of the program can purchase.
"The bill would also require that formula manufacturers have contingency plans for protecting against disruptions in supply in the event of a recall," CBS News said.
The measure passed with a vast bipartisan majority of 414-9. One of the nine "no" votes came from outgoing Rep. Louie Gohmert. All nine who voted against the bill were Republicans.
CBS19 reached out to Rep. Gohmert with the following question:
"Since [Rep. Gohmert] tweeted a week ago demanding that more be done to end the baby formula shortage, does he have a statement about why he voted 'no' tonight?"
Rep. Gohmert answered with the following statement:
"Giving the FDA millions of dollars is not going to produce one ounce of baby formula. Getting the FDA out of the way would accomplish that new production. The lengthy and heavy-handed complete shutdown and subsequent investigation of the Sturgis, Michigan Abbott facility in mid-February by the Biden FDA found no deadly bacteria in their products. There was no easing of restrictions by the FDA, there was no reopening plan from the FDA and not even an apparent awareness of the consequences of their actions until there was a critical shortage of formula available to America’s mothers who were unable to feed their infants.
President Biden and his masses of bureaucrats have done nothing for months to alleviate or mitigate the problem, but now want the Democrats in Congress to throw more money at their bureaucratic friends out of a desire to, as Democrats have said before, avoid letting 'a good crisis go to waste.’ Creating a bigger deficit and increasing inflation, while using even more money to create bigger, more dysfunctional government is not a solution, no matter how attractive that may sound to some in the media.
The FDA got us into this mess and they cannot get us out of it. Enabling Abbott to reopen its facility swiftly and removing burdensome government restrictions and regulations from safe baby formula from overseas would be a more efficient solution.”
Others who voted against the bill include:
- Rep. Andy Biggs (Arizona)
- Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colorado)
- Rep. Matt Gaetz (Florida)
- Rep. Paul Gosar (Arizona)
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia)
- Rep. Clay Higgins (Louisiana)
- Rep. Thomas Massie (Kentucky)
- Rep. Chip Roy (Texas)
CBS News reports a second measure also passed which would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) $28 million to get fraudulent formula out of stores and "boost the part of the workforce focused on formula, as well as FDA inspection staff." However, on this bill, only 12 Republicans voted "yes."
Both bills will now head to the U.S. Senate.
Rep. Gohmert, who has represented TX-District 1 for 17 years, recently launched a failed bid for Texas attorney general. He came up last in the March primary in a four-way race for the GOP nomination. Rep. Gohmert will finish out his term in the U.S. House which ends January 3, 2023.