Nine Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against a plan that would make it easier for people on low-income federal assistance programs to buy baby formula.
H.R. 7791, also known as the Access to Baby Formula Act, would allow low-income mothers to purchase additional baby formula through the federal Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.
In a House vote on Wednesday, it gained 414-9 bipartisan support amid the country's formula supply crisis.
Republicans made up all nine lawmakers who voted against the bill. Andy Biggs (Arizona), Lauren Boebert (Colorado), Matt Gaetz (Florida), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Paul Gosar (Arizona), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia), Clay Higgins (Louisiana), Thomas Massie (Kentucky), and Chip Roy (Kentucky) are the members of Congress (Texas).
"Instead, the legislation would elevate a manifestly inept executive branch while funneling millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] without making any of the essential adjustments to get the formula back on store shelves."
"This shortfall is the direct result of needless government regulations and a bloated bureaucracy that failed to detect the problem before it became unmanageable." This body should be solving problems rather than exacerbating them."
H.R. 7791 would make the baby formula shortages "worse for most Americans," according to Gaetz. NEWSWEEK SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS >
"It will allow WIC to use a much larger percentage of the baby formula market, pushing out many hardworking American families," Gaetz wrote on Twitter.
"Overall, government-sanctioned market movements usually cause more issues than they solve. We should source additional goods for all American families and fix the problem instead of inventing more emergency authorities for the inept Biden regime."
Biggs, like Gaetz, used the phrase "crowding out" to explain why he voted against the Access to Baby Formula Act.
In a follow-up tweet, Biggs said, "The better solutions are to distribute formula currently in the hands of federal agencies and decrease regulatory hurdles that would allow for the increase of domestic formula production."
"If we only voted based on the names of the laws, I'd vote for practically all of them," Massie, who was also the only lawmaker to vote "no" on a resolution denouncing the spike in violence fueled by antisemitism on Wednesday, tweeted.
The six other lawmakers who voted "no" have been approached by Newsweek for comment.
The House passed the Access to Baby Formula Act on Wednesday, one of two pieces of legislation aimed at addressing the statewide shortage.
The House of Representatives also voted 231 to 192 to pass H.R.7790, the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act.
The measure proposes $28 million in emergency additional funds to solve the country's newborn formula shortfall.
The measure specifically directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to solve the current baby formula crisis and prevent future shortages by prohibiting counterfeit products from accessing the US market.
All of those who voted "no" on approving the law, including the nine who voted against the Access to Baby Formula Act, were Republicans.