Pettersen & Pressley Lead 100+ House Colleagues Urging Secretary Rubio to Prioritize Surge of Infant Formula and Aid into Gaza

WASHINGTON - Today, Congresswomen Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) led over 100 of their colleagues in calling on the Trump Administration to use its full power and authority to support the massive surge of all humanitarian aid without diversion, and in particular infant formula, into Gaza to address the crisis of starvation.

In their letter, the lawmakers sounded the alarm over the catastrophic shortage of baby formula and other critical aid. Infants in particular are especially vulnerable to death by starvation.

Representative Pettersen released the following statement:

"As a mom, I can't fathom the desperation parents in Gaza are facing as they struggle to provide for their families. While we welcome the increase of aid into Gaza, the US, Israel, the UN, and our allies must do everything in their power to prioritize getting baby formula to Gaza and additional food, water, and medical aid immediately. And Hamas must not interfere in any way in the provision of humanitarian assistance.

"I'm proud to work with my colleague and fellow mom, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, to make sure the needs of babies are prioritized as we demand additional action. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment - the U.S. must play a leading role to ensure all parties are prioritizing delivery of baby formula and other aid. We need reassurance from the IDF that there are no restrictions on the delivery of baby formula as well as reassurance from the UN that they will work alongside Israel for distribution because they cannot meet this urgent need alone. It's going to take collaboration and support with all parties and every minute counts to save innocent lives."

Joining Pettersen and Pressley are Representatives Adams, Alma; Ansari, Yassamin; Balint, Becca; Barragán, Nanette; Bera, Ami; Beyer, Donald; Bonamici, Suzanne; Brownley, Julia; Budzinski, Nikki; Carbajal, Salud; Carter, Troy; Casar, Greg; Casten, Sean; Castro, Joaquin; Chu, Judy; Clarke, Yvette; Cohen, Steve; Conaway, Herbert; Courtney, Joe; Crockett, Jasmine; Crow, Jason; Davids, Sharice; Davis, Danny; Dean, Madeleine; DeGette, Diana; DeLauro, Rosa; Deluzio, Christopher; DeSaulnier, Mark; Dexter, Maxine; Dingell, Debbie; Doggett, Lloyd; Escobar, Veronica; Evans, Dwight; Fields, Cleo; Foster, Bill; Foushee, Valerie; Frost, Maxwell; Garamendi, John; García, Jesús; Garcia, Sylvia; Hayes, Jahana; Himes, James; Hoyle, Val; Huffman, Jared; Jackson, Jonathan; Jacobs, Sara; Jayapal, Pramila; Johnson, Henry; Johnson, Julie; Kaptur, Marcy; Kelly, Robin; Khanna, Ro; Krishnamoorthi, Raja; Larson, John; Lee, Summer; Leger Fernandez, Teresa; Liccardo, Sam; Lynch, Stephen; Magaziner, Seth; Matsui, Doris; McBride, Sarah; McClellan, Jennifer; McCollum, Betty; McDonald Rivet, Kristen; McGovern, James; McIver, LaMonica; Mfume, Kweisi; Min, Dave; Nadler, Jerrold; Norton, Eleanor; Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria; Omar, Ilhan; Panetta, Jimmy; Pelosi, Nancy; Pettersen, Brittany; Pingree, Chellie; Pocan, Mark; Pressley, Ayanna; Quigley, Mike; Ramirez, Delia; Raskin, Jamie; Ross, Deborah; Salinas, Andrea; Scanlon, Mary Gay; Schakowsky, Janice; Scholten, Hillary; Sewell, Terri; Simon, Lateefah; Smith, Adam; Sorensen, Eric; Stansbury, Melanie; Subramanyam, Suhas; Takano, Mark; Thompson, Bennie; Thompson, Mike; Tlaib, Rashida; Tokuda, Jill; Tonko, Paul; Trahan, Lori; Tran, Derek; Vasquez, Gabe; Velázquez, Nydia; Watson Coleman, Bonnie

Full text of the letter can be found HERE and below:

Dear Secretary Rubio,

We write to you today with urgency about the grave crisis that infants in Gaza face as a result of severe restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid. Specifically, we write to you today asking that the United States use its full power and authority to immediately facilitate a massive surge in all humanitarian aid, and in particular infant formula, into Gaza to address this crisis. The United States and Israel, have a moral obligation to address the dire conditions that threaten the lives of Palestinian families.

After months of warnings from humanitarian aid organizations, Palestinians in Gaza are now dying of starvation. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned at the end of July that the "worst case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip." At least 85 children have died of hunger-related causes and over 20,000 children have been treated for malnutrition in Gaza since April. Infants in particular are especially vulnerable to death by starvation and are dying of malnutrition. The lack of food and aid writ large means mothers do not have the basic nutrition required to sustain breastfeeding, rendering formula the only option for infant survival in many cases.

Between March 2 and May 19, 2025, the Netanyahu government did not allow the entry of any humanitarian aid into Gaza. Since late May, the government has instituted a new system of humanitarian aid delivery, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has resulted in a catastrophic decrease in food supplies and other humanitarian aid. According to the Netanyahu government's own data, the GHF has delivered only a tiny fraction of the aid that could be delivered by the previous U.N.-coordinated distribution system. In addition, aid packages from the GHF do not include baby formula. While aid distributed by the United Nations does include baby formula, an average of 69 trucks per day have entered Gaza according to Israeli government data-vastly below the 500 to 600 trucks per day the U.N. says are needed to meet humanitarian needs. As a result, Gaza is currently facing a dire shortage of baby formula, depriving infants of what is their only hope against starvation.

We the undersigned stand united in our fundamental American moral values that we must do everything possible to ensure children are not starving and that infants are not denied critical food aid. This crisis is not one of funding or resources, but of access and political will. While we push for a long-lasting resolution and we are devastated that previous ceasefires were not upheld, we believe it is absolutely necessary to prioritize the safe delivery of the pallets of baby formula, specifically ready-to feed formula, sitting at the border of Gaza to ensure that we do not lose another newborn or infant to starvation.

We therefore urge you to demand that the Israeli government immediately facilitate a massive surge of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, including but not limited to baby formula and medical equipment required to treat infant and child malnourishment. Specifically, all crossing points should immediately be reopened for the entry of humanitarian aid and allowed to operate simultaneously and consistently, and the Israeli government must take additional steps to vastly scale up the amount of aid allowed in through existing crossings and expand movement and access for international aid organizations throughout the Gaza Strip must also be taken, so that they can deliver this aid without diversion.

This moment demands moral clarity and decisive action. Our conscience as a nation and our values compel us to speak out. We appeal to you not only in your capacity as a government official but as a parent. No child should face the desperation and suffering we are witnessing in Gaza in real time and our hearts break for the children killed in Israel and Gaza. We must use our leverage to ensure the most vulnerable are protected and we implore you to take these steps to save innocent lives.

We request that you move with urgency and respond in writing no later than September 1st, 2025.

Sincerely,

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