Republicans slam Biden for feeding migrant babies scarce baby formula
There is a shortage of baby formula in the U.S. The spotty availability and rationing at stores is generally attributed to lingering supply chain issues and by a huge recall of several formula brands by Abbott Nutrition, after the Food and Drug Administration tied two infant deaths to potentially contaminated formula produced at its Sturgis, Michigan, plant.
Washington is scrambling to do something about the shortage. President Biden on Thursday spoke with formula manufacturers and large national retailers to get an update on the formula situation, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. "We're going to do everything we can to cut red tape and take steps to increase supply." The White House also said it is cracking down on price gouging and working on importing formula from Ireland, the Netherlands, Chile, and Mexico.
Democrats in Congress demanded answers about the FDA's response and whether Abbott tried to hide safety problems at its Sturgis plant. A handful of House Republicans demanded Tuesday that the U.S. redirect money earmarked for Ukraine toward fixing the baby formula shortage.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) made waves Thursday, tweeting that the U.S. government is "sending pallets, pallets of baby formula to the border" while grocery stores are bare, posting a photo of a half-stocked grocery store shelf next to a picture she says a concerned Texas border agent sent her of a shelf of baby formula in between two shelves of apple sauce pouches.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) piled on: "While mothers and fathers stare at empty grocery store shelves in a panic, the Biden administration is happy to provide baby formula to illegal immigrants coming across our southern border."
Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler rolled his eyes at this "ridiculous faux outrage," explaining that Biden is obligated by law — the Flores consent decree governing child migrants and the 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, mostly — to feed child migrants in U.S. custody.
Former President Donald Trump "was no fan of Flores. He tried to get rid of it but was blocked by the courts. So he followed the law, too," Kessler said. "The shortage of baby formula is a serious issue," but "anyone who suggests this is the result of specific Biden policies, i.e., his 'reckless, out-of-touch priorities,' earns Four Pinocchios."
-
Growing a brain in the labFeature It's a tiny version of a developing human cerebral cortex
-
How are Democrats trying to reform ICE?Today’s Big Question Democratic leadership has put forth several demands for the agency
-
Silicon Valley: Worker activism makes a comebackFeature The ICE shootings in Minneapolis horrified big tech workers
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
-
Lawmakers say Epstein files implicate 6 more menSpeed Read The Trump department apparently blacked out the names of several people who should have been identified
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?Talking Point Rambling speeches, wind turbine obsession, and an ‘unhinged’ letter to Norway’s prime minister have caused concern whether the rest of his term is ‘sustainable’
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
