As the baby formula crisis across the country continues, despite the Biden administration's efforts to import formula from Europe with military planes, Republicans and Democrats are turning up the heat on the Food and Drug Administration.
"Infant formula supplies at local grocery stores were relatively stable for the first half of 2021. The out-of-stock percentage started to climb steadily in the later half and continued to worsen throughout this year. It’s concerning that FDA and key officials in the Administration did not anticipate this crisis or take action within days following Abbott Nutrition’s voluntary recall considering the company holds 48.1 percent of the U.S. market in infant formula," a number of Republican Senators wrote to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf this week.
"Families are getting to the brink of pursuing unsafe and potentially dangerous options to feed their infants including homemade infant formula. And physicians are, once again, running defense on misinformation due to a lack of federal action to get the word out on safe alternatives," the letter continues.
Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee Rosa DeLauro plans to hold hearings about why the FDA shut down one of the largest baby formula plants in the country without a quick plan ready to get it back up and running.
Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro says the Biden administration “is culpable on dragging their feet” on the baby formula shortage.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 22, 2022
“They didn’t do ANYTHING” for months. pic.twitter.com/hJ57Y512L1