On Friday, "#EliseStarvefanik" trended on Twitter, a cruel take on the name of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who has served for a year now as the chair of the House Republican Conference.
Earlier on Friday morning, the congresswoman shared an article published on Thursday from Katie, "The Biden Administration Is Shipping Pallets of Baby Formula to the Border." In her tweet, Stefanik raised concerns to do with how "Joe Biden continues to put America LAST," and highlighted how Americans are suffering from the #BidenBorderCrisis."
Joe Biden continues to put America LAST by shipping pallets of baby formula to the southern border as American families face empty shelves.
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) May 13, 2022
This is unacceptable.
American mothers and their babies shouldn’t suffer because of the #BidenBorderCrisis.https://t.co/zgWHz84lkZ
The mainstream media, via The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler, in a fact-check from Thursday night, referred to such concerns as "faux outrage."
Stefanik's Democratic colleagues in the House also piled on, with Reps. Eric Swalwell (CA) and Ruben Gallego (AZ) seeming to lead the way for getting the hashtag and harsh charge to trend.
If you are in Congress and propose starving babies to death you deserve to have your name trend. #EliseStarvefanik https://t.co/RuVppxRbPZ
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) May 13, 2022
Your plan #EliseStarvefanik is to starve babies. You have no excuse so now you’re just lashing out. Picking on babies for political gain is so low and trashy. https://t.co/ifNEoN6Tjy
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) May 13, 2022
They can't go out, drive around and shop for formula while in immigration custody. #EliseStarvefanik doesn't care, she wants to let their babies starve to make a point (which is that only white American babies count). What a horrid bitch. Fuck the @GOP https://t.co/NsphKoNJtj
— Hali W. (@Waris_rain) May 13, 2022
I am the father of a very cute baby who currently drinks formula and I can’t believe I have to clarify that I’m in the don’t-let-babies-starve-in-US-custody camp.
— Corey Jacobson (@CoreyJacobson) May 13, 2022
These people are out of their minds. #EliseStarvefanik https://t.co/cIyJxs1twr
Rep. Stefanik is herself Congress' newest mom, which many Twitter users even used to further attack her.
Elise Stefanik has a birth announcement for her own child pinned to the top of her Twitter page while she's demanding that the White House deny baby formula to migrant children. That's why people are calling her #EliseStarvefanik.
— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) May 13, 2022
Despite the hashtag, and other such cruel points people would make, it is unfair to assume the congresswoman wants to let anyone starve. What they fail to address is that there has been a shortage and issue of prioritization.
Not only is Stefanik not calling for anyone to starve, she has been warning about this issue and has been since February as she's called on the Biden administration to address the issue and come up with a plan, which they have failed to do.
Waiting months to recall baby formula while infants were hospitalized is unacceptable.
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) February 28, 2022
This may have been largely averted if the @US_FDA acted swiftly after initial reports of illness.
I’m calling for answers and transparency. pic.twitter.com/4PRRxpVJ4r
Back in February @RepStefanik was demanding that the Biden admin develop a plan to avoid this baby formula shortage.
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) May 13, 2022
Joe Biden did NOTHING and now Americans are struggling to find baby formula. https://t.co/YQu89DLBes https://t.co/WvJRH57jDN
Yesterday, Jen Psaki placed blame for the shortage on a recall that happened in February, and noted that the Biden administration has been working "for weeks now" on this issue. https://t.co/qUeJUvqiWF
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 13, 2022
FDA should’ve developed a plan months ago. Why was there a 44-day delay on inspections of the Sturgis Abbott facility when the FDA knew there were consumer complaints about illness as far back as September 2021? @DrCaliff_FDA https://t.co/Uua5Mr7wcm
— Rep. Dusty Johnson (@RepDustyJohnson) May 13, 2022
House Democrats are going to hold a hearing on Biden’s Baby Formula Shortage in 12 DAYS.
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) May 13, 2022
Parents can’t wait another minute let alone almost two weeks for Democrats and address this crisis.
And, on Thursday, Stefanik, as the conference chair, joined other House Republicans in calling for the president to address the issue.
"I cannot think of a more harrowing crisis for parents than desperately trying to find food for their newborn baby...When Joe Biden’s White House was asked about the shortage, they laughed, shameful. Make no mistake, the American people do not find this funny." - @RepStefanik pic.twitter.com/MhZzVxijtV
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) May 12, 2022
Stefanik was not willing to take the accusation lightly, though, especially when it came from the likes of those affiliated with the Lincoln Project with various tweets and retweets by co-founder Rick Wilson as it applied to Rep. Gallego's tweets tweets of his own.
Pro-life my fucking ass.
— Jo ?? (@JoJoFromJerz) May 13, 2022
The cruelty is the point https://t.co/YSp8gwKcaa
— Reed Galen (@reedgalen) May 13, 2022
If you think photos of flag-draped coffins is bad press, imagine row after row of infant coffins.
— CheeseheadLucy ?? (@cheeseheadlucy) May 13, 2022
"The White House, House Democrats, and usual pedophile grifters are so out of touch with the American people that rather than present any plan or urgency to address the nationwide baby formula crisis, they double down on sending pallets of formula to the southern border. Joe Biden has no plan," Stefanik said.
Wilson, in his stunning move of immaturity, responded by bringing Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) into it as it applies to the "usual pedophile grifters."
Why are you bringing Jim Jordan into this? https://t.co/BADuNr24n6
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) May 13, 2022
As Townhall has been highlighting all throughout this week, the Biden administration has been prioritizing baby formula for illegal immigrants, while American families go without, despite how Republicans highlighted the issue months before. Concerns about the lack of supplies and failure to first prioritize Americans has led some, including Hillary Clinton, to claim Republicans and the pro-life movement want to let babies die.
The Biden administration has responded with a non-response, though, with the president dragging his feet to address it on account of how "it's on the front of every newspaper."
A reporter read out Rep. Stefanik's tweet during outgoing White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki's last press conference. Psaki, claiming that the Biden administration "like[s] facts," focused on how CPD is following the Flores Settlement and that this is "morally the right thing to do," rather than addressing the shortages American families are facing as a result.
Out of touch & unacceptable.
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) May 13, 2022
The White House doubles down on having absolutely NO plan for how to feed America’s babies who are suffering from a formula shortage nationwide while pallets are being sent to Biden’s open southern border.#BidenBorderCrisis #BidenBabyFormulaCrisis https://t.co/XXUYizxKc9
My response to Jen Psaki’s out-of-touch White House briefing today highlighting the abject failure of Joe Biden to have any plan to address the baby formula crisis across America?????? pic.twitter.com/JGdurwkCSs
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) May 13, 2022
Stefanik highlighted Psaki's response as "out of touch."
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