The baby formula shortage that dominated the news cycle only a few months ago is not over. A cursory glance at headlines would lead one to believe the opposite is true. That the shortage not only exists but continues is a massive failure of President Joe Biden and the FDA. Republicans should keep the subject alive and remind voters of this administration’s continued incompetence.
I’m a mother of two young boys. I am acutely aware of the urgency felt by caregivers who can’t find enough baby formula. Due to fertility issues, breastfeeding was difficult for me when both my sons were infants. As a result, their diet was about 99.5% formula. At 6 and almost 2, they are healthy and strong. I would have loved to feed my sons with milk from the body that had housed and nourished them for months. But I couldn’t. Unlike what some claim, it is neither laziness nor disinterest that leads mothers to the formula aisle. The vast majority of mothers just want to meet their children’s needs and feel a sense of guilt when they can’t do that naturally. I know, because that’s how I felt.
For some, time, not production, is the issue. This can be due to other children in the home who also need attention or career demands outside the home. Regardless, if breastfeeding or pumping aren’t as regular as before, supply dries up. Enter baby formula, a literal lifesaver for infants, whether biological or adopted.
The access to baby formula is critical. The continued shortage is unacceptable.
There are a host of reasons for the shortage: pandemic-related supply chain issues, safety concerns at Abbott, one of the largest manufacturers of baby formula in the U.S., and an inept executive and similarly unskilled FDA. Concerns that took center stage in May still exist. At the end of July, almost one-third of baby formula in the U.S. was out of stock. The beginning of August wasn’t much better, with the rate hovering at about 26%. These figures may not sound like much, but out-of-stock ranges for 2021 are reported to have been between 2% and 8%. Toward the end of 2021, the rate steadily climbed. By May, out-of-stock rates were 40% and even higher in some places. The problem is not gone.
The Biden administration has appeared to address the issue. But millions of families continue struggling to find enough formula to feed their infants. The lack of supply is nowhere near pre-crisis levels that largely remained in the single digits. Operation Fly Formula, which began in June, is meant to address the shortage. When it commenced, there was skepticism concerning how well the campaign would work to meet the immediate need. The amount of formula coming in is and was nowhere near the amount needed to fill the gap. On Aug. 3, the White House released a statement announcing the 19th mission for Operation Fly Formula. Yet the shortage persists.
The last update in the “latest news” section of the “Addressing the Infant Formula Shortage” feature on the White House website is from July 18. The administration has not made this a priority. Even if it is on the list of concerns, it is closer to the bottom. Keeping the public informed is not taking precedence.
And the baby formula shortage continues.
For too long, the Left has accused the pro-life Right of only being focused on children when they are in the womb. The claim is repeated because it is powerful, even though it’s false. The Biden administration, led by an abortion-supporting Catholic, is keen to talk about protecting the supposed right to abortion in the U.S. What about the basic needs of infants? While new parents work to find baby formula, Biden signed an executive order protecting out-of-state travel to obtain abortions. While caregivers wondered how long their canisters would last, Democrats in Congress introduced a bill to condemn and limit the effectiveness of crisis pregnancy centers. And Biden and his ilk dare to accuse Republicans of not caring about children. Utterly shameless.
Is it Biden who has relegated to the sidelines the imminent needs of struggling families and hungry babies? Or is it just his accomplices in the media who have largely moved on to more “important” topics? It appears to be a combination of both.
There is no doubt that formula manufacturers must maintain rigorous standards, and without question. They must be held to them by the FDA. Part of the problem is that standards were not met at Abbott, and, in turn, the plant was shut down for several months. Then, in July, flooding caused production to stop again. It may be tempting to view baby formula as an ancillary issue related to the food supply chain. When discussing food supplies, the immediate thought is of solids and the millions of children, teenagers, and adults who need them. But baby formula is a basic need for so many infants around the country. It is either a supplement or the sole nutrition for babies until they can be weaned.
Less than a year ago, my now-21-month-old was dependent on baby formula. Once he was done with formula and moved to cow’s milk, I had two large, unopened canisters left over. In May, I happily and freely gave those to a local mother I connected with who needed that brand and couldn’t find it in our town or the two nearby. Her desperation was palpable and would have easily been mine.
The price of the baby formula shortage goes far beyond political baggage and bad optics. It deeply affects our fellow Americans right next door, in the city over, and in the state far away. It’s not and should not be a partisan issue; it is a human issue. And Biden and his team are failing.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.
