A nationwide baby-formula shortage has exposed the shortcomings of a multibillion-dollar government program aimed at providing formula at no cost to families, said lawmakers and recipients, prompting efforts to revamp it.
Some low-income parents who rely on the federal Women, Infants and Children program said that shortages of approved baby formula have left them paying hundreds of dollars to purchase formula outside the program, while they navigate a patchwork of changes made to the WIC program in recent months in response to shortages.
