[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 117 (Thursday, July 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H6119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      U.S. ATTACK ON BREASTFEEDING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, sometimes it is just hard to keep track 
of the daily outrages: the President is not just insulting, but 
attacking allies like Canada on national security grounds; a tariff 
war; reckless and inaccurate attacks on NATO and our allies, the 
bedrock of stability in Europe; the President of the United States 
cozies up to one of the worst people on the face of the planet. Kim 
Jong-un, the dictator of North Korea, has imprisoned over 100,000 of 
his people in concentration camps, starved millions more, murdered 
members of his own family and is held up as some sort of exemplar by 
Trump. Trump says he likes the way his people pay attention to him. 
Well, maybe because if they don't, they get killed or sentenced to a 
concentration camp. This notion that we are forcibly separating 
children from families at the border, where the family simply is 
looking for asylum, inflicting probably permanent damage on these 
children; and, of course, the countless environmental attacks and the 
activities of corrupt cronies who have been put in positions of 
authority.
  Last week we witnessed one of the most despicable acts of this 
disturbing administration: The United States launched a global attack 
on breastfeeding--yes, breastfeeding.
  Think about it for a moment. Mother's milk is the most nutritious way 
to feed a baby. It contains antibodies that provide it with health 
protections as a baby and throughout its life.
  There was an innocuous resolution that was being advanced before one 
of the United Nations affiliates, the World Health Assembly, to promote 
breastfeeding.
  This is a serious problem in developing countries. Global giants that 
sell baby formula have been touting this as a healthier, more 
convenient alternative. Recent studies show that less than 40 percent 
of poor women in developing countries are breastfeeding. The use of 
infant formula in these poor countries not only is inferior, not only 
does it lack the long-term health benefits, and is it not a cheaper 
alternative for low-income people. Actually, in many of these 
countries, mixing formula with dirty water poses a direct threat 
immediately to the health of the child.
  Ecuador, a member of this assembly, was prepared to introduce a 
routine resolution promoting breastfeeding. Then this administration 
sprang into action, pressuring Ecuador--allegedly, with retaliation in 
the trade sector--to not offer the resolution. Ultimately, the bullying 
was successful; the resolution was not advanced by Ecuador. Although, 
irony of ironies, it was Russia that stepped up and moved forward with 
the resolution, which was ultimately adopted with minor changes.
  What does it say about America and this administration that it would 
be doing the bidding of giant international corporations, promoting a 
practice that actually undermines health in many poor people? Just 
having a resolution promoting the benefits of breastfeeding was 
threatening to their business and to this administration.
  We have seen a lot of disturbing and shameful acts since Trump became 
President, but it is hard to imagine something worse than what was on 
display last week.
  It is time for my Republican colleagues to join us, expressing 
outrage about behaviors like this. We are better people, and we ought 
to demonstrate it.

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