US baby formula shortage gives Biden new headache

The White House vowed Thursday to take action to boost supplies of baby formula as President Joe Biden was slammed by Republicans for crippling shortages nationwide.

Last week, the average out-of-stock rate for baby formula was 43 percent, according to Datasembly, which collected information from more than 11,000 retailers.

The administration, already under fire over the highest inflation rate in decades, said it was considering increasing imports, as the United States relies on domestic producers for 98 percent of the infant formula it consumes.

Officials say they are also working with the states to cut red tape on poor families buying infant milk through food stamps.

“President Biden has directed the administration to work urgently to ensure that infant formula is safe and available for families across the country... this is work that’s been underway for months,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday.

“Our message to parents is: We hear you, we want to do everything we can, and we’re going to cut every element of red tape to help address this and make it better for you to get formula on the shelves,” she added.

Biden has asked the Federal Trade Commission to look into abuses linked to the shortage, including the resale of infant milk online at prices far above normal.

The president met manufacturers and retailers for discussions described as “productive and encouraging” by an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

However, the official would not say how long it would take for the situation to improve.

The Republican opposition, which has set its sights on wresting back control of Congress in November’s midterm elections, has seized on the issue to berate Biden and the Democrats.

Elise Stefanik, part of the House Republican leadership and a new mother herself, told a news conference she had contacted the US Food and Drug Administration in February but received “no substantive response.”

“Joe Biden simply has no plan. In fact, when Joe Biden’s White House was asked about the shortage, they laughed. Shameful,” she told reporters.