# Plain Language Summary: H. RES. 1287

This resolution is essentially Congress asking the President to hand over documents and information about a serious problem that happened in 2022—a major recall of Abbott Laboratories infant formula. The recall created a shortage of baby formula across the country, leaving many parents scrambling to find safe food for their infants. Congress wants to understand what went wrong and when government officials knew about the problems.

Specifically, the House is demanding that the President provide documents within two weeks that show what communications happened between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the White House about the formula recall. They want to know if the FDA's leadership talked to the White House before or during February 2022 about the brewing crisis. Congress is also asking for information about a whistleblower complaint—an employee at Abbott apparently reported safety concerns to the FDA, but the complaint apparently didn't reach all the right people who needed to know about it. The resolution wants to understand why that happened and what the FDA has done to prevent similar failures in the future.

Beyond the immediate recall, Congress is also investigating whether the FDA has enough staff to do its job properly. They're asking how many inspector positions are currently empty in the FDA's food safety division, suggesting they suspect understaffing may have contributed to the problem. Finally, they want to know how many new infant formula applications are sitting in the FDA's queue waiting for approval, broken down by whether they're from American or foreign manufacturers. This last request suggests Congress is concerned about whether there are enough formula options available to prevent future shortages.

Of inquiry directing the President to provide certain documents in the President's possession to the House of Representatives relating to the recall of infant formula manufactured by Abbott Laboratories and potential impacts on the infant formula supply chain.

Walberg, Tim

 <p>This resolution directs the President to furnish to the House of Representatives any documents or communications relating to the recall of infant formula manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, particularly communications involving the Food and Drug Administration.</p>