Soon after beginning his second term, President Donald Trump rightly focused on a serious problem with infant formula by launching Operation Stork Speed. It’s aimed at expanding access to safe, reliable, and nutritious formula for American families, a problem that became very serious during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also fits neatly within a broader Trump instinct: the United States should make more of what it needs at home, especially products as essential as those that nourish newborns. But here is the uncomfortable truth Washington hates to admit: if the administration wants to understand why the infant formula market is fragile, it should start by looking in the mirror.