Engineer and TV host Emily Calandrelli came to Capitol Hill Wednesday, Oct. 29, as part of an effort to require the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to enforce a policy that allows parents to bring breast milk, formula and supplies on planes. She is among many moms who say they have faced scrutiny traveling with breast milk and ice packs. (Photo by Sofia Resnick/States Newsroom)

Brinda Sen Gupta was traveling by plane for work last month without her infant but with gel packs she would need to keep her breast milk cool on the return flight. Knowing how hard it can be to get through airport security with breastmilk and infant-feeding supplies, Sen Gupta arrived extra early and prepared.

Sure enough, a U.S. Transportation Security Administration agent objected to Sen Gupta’s gel packs, she said. She took out her phone and showed a screenshot of TSA’s current policy. It stems from a 2016 law and states that breast milk, formula and toddler drinks are considered “medically necessary liquids” and are allowed in carry-on baggage in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces. The policy expressly allows breast milk and formula cooling accessories like ice and gel packs, and states a child does not have to be present for a parent to carry these supplies.

Despite the law, women continue to report issues with TSA security in airports across the country, saying many workers are not trained on their own policy.

“The TSA agent had to ask their supervisor to come,” Sen Gupta said. The supervisor reviewed the policy and allowed the gel packs through, she said, “but it was annoying to me, because I had to add extra time before I went to make sure that I could have this conversation with them.”

Sen Gupta was among several D.C. chapter leaders of the national nonprofit Chamber of Mothers who gathered in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Oct. 29, to advocate for the passage of the Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening (BABES) Enhancement Act. Introduced in the House by Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, the bill would require an audit by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security within one year of enactment to ensure the policy is being enforced and workers are being trained on how to inspect infant-feeding supplies in a way that is sanitary. 

The bill has been introduced in Congress three years in a row but failed to pass despite bipartisan support. In May for the first time the bill cleared the Senate, where it was cosponsored by Democratic Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, and Republican Sens. Steve Daines of Montana and Ted Cruz of Texas. It has advanced in the House, where it has 26 cosponsors, including five Republicans.

“We don’t actually need to change the policies. We need to enforce them, to have some oversight for when the policy isn’t adhered to and how they’re held accountable for those missteps,” said Emily Calandrelli, an engineer and science TV host, who brought attention to the issue after her story of being escorted out of an airport security line because of her ice packs went viral.  

Calandrelli said she is unaware of major pushback to the bill in the U.S. House, but she is not certain there will be enough support to move the legislation anytime soon, especially as the federal government shutdown is about to enter its second month.

She said she is hopeful that Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, one of the first Republicans to sign on, will recruit more members of her party. 

“At this point, we need Republicans to really lead the charge to help get to the finish line,” Calandrelli said.

In the meantime, moms who relayed their recent TSA experiences at the Chamber of Mothers event said parents traveling with infant-feeding supplies should prepare themselves for traveling — have TSA’s policy ready on their phones and arrive well ahead of time.

Travel security lines may be even slower or flights may be delayed during the shutdown, too, as federal workers like air traffic controllers and TSA agents work without pay.  

Bri Adams, another Chamber of Mothers D.C. chapter leader, said she has been dealing with the headache of nursing while frequently traveling for work for the past few years. A breast milk overproducer who had to pump frequently to maintain her supply, she said agents would handle her milk or supplies in ways that were not sanitary. Over time, she learned to advocate for herself. 

“I literally had it up on my phone, the regulations on the TSA website, ready to go, and I pretty much just acted a lot more confident,” Adams said. “This is what I’m doing, and I’m taking breast milk that’s thawed and frozen at the same time, and you’re going to let me on because you can.”

TSA has not yet responded to requests for comment. 

‘What would make motherhood easier for you?’

A driver parked the Chamber of Mothers’ black and red bus across the street from the U.S. Department of Labor, which ordinarily would have meant lots of foot traffic. But on the 29th day of the shutdown, the sidewalks and streets were largely empty of the typical tourists and federal workers, many who were either furloughed without pay or working without pay. 

The bus has stopped in nine cities over the last couple of months. Lexie Wooten said she has been to every stop, where the group’s been asking moms, “What would make motherhood easier for you?” Overwhelmingly, responses have been about economic support and paid family leave, she said. 

Wooten said she could feel the economic anxiety as Americans brace for cuts to health and food assistance programs for people with low incomes, exacerbated by the shutdown. As States Newsroom has reported, temporarily losing food assistance like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could lead to more pregnancy complications.

“People are broke, and it makes everything harder,” Wooten said.

Chamber of Mothers CEO Erin Erenberg said the organization now has 43 local chapters in 30 states and about 100,000 members nationwide, and focuses on policies meant to improve access to maternal health care, paid parental leave and affordable child care. Erenberg, who is also an intellectual property attorney, cofounded the nonprofit in 2021 with a group of fellow working moms after paid family leave was cut from former President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan. One of the state bills they’ve worked on since is Arizona’s HB 2332, a maternal mental health bill, which Gov. Katie Hobbs signed in May. 

Erenberg said the Trump administration, through the office of the vice president and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has reached out to her organization to collaborate. But before the group would work with the White House, she said there are some nonnegotiable terms, which include preserving and expanding access to affordable health care, Medicaid and SNAP — all impacted by recent federal spending policies.

“So far, this administration hasn’t shown that they’re fully behind what we advocate for,” Erenberg said. “With pronatalism, we have repeatedly said, great, you want people to have more babies? … We need paid leave, we need affordable child care, and we need you to invest in what actually would make us healthy … and survive childbirth.”