The shortage of baby milk in the US is turning into a political crisis

According to data provider Datasembly, the stock-out rate of infant milk formula reached 43% at the end of last week, a situation that has only worsened since an Abbott manufacturer’s factory closed in February.

Accused of the worst of apathy, of the best wait-and-see attitude, the White House on Thursday set some measures, which limited scope.

This is a job that has been going on for monthsjustified her spokeswoman Jen Psaki, when asked about the American executive committee’s reaction time.

Our message to parents is: we have heard, we want to do everything we canhe said, pressed for questions on this topic that dominate his daily press briefing.

The Biden administration plans, among other things, to increase imports, while the United States produces 98% of the formula milk it consumes.

He also said he is working with the States to ease the administrative burden on the poorest families who buy infant milk using food stamps.

The White House has finally usurped the competition authority over the abuses associated with this shortage situation, particularly the resale of baby milk online at exorbitant prices.

Jen Psaki indicated that one of the options still being studied is the use of the Defense Production Act, a text inherited from the Cold War that allows the American president to make economic decisions by decree.

Separately, Joe Biden spoke with retail representatives and baby milk producers on Thursday, the conversations described as productive and uplifting of an administrative official, who did not want to be named.

Bullets for Republicans

But the White House has not threatened to predict a way out of the crisis, as the Republican opposition, which is campaigning before the legislative election in November, has taken up the subject and slammed the Biden administration.

House of Representatives Elise Stefanik confirmed at a press conference to contact federal authorities in February: Joe Biden has no plans. […] When we asked the White House about the shortage, they laughed.

Randy Feenstra, an elected official from Iowa, assured him that, in his region, families makes 50, 75, up to 100 miles to try [de] Find powdered milk (i.e. 80 to 160 kilometers).

Even House Democratic boss Nancy Pelosi vented her frustration on Thursday: Right now, babies are hungry, babies are crying, we need to respond to it now.

Sara Khan, mother of three children aged 10, 7 and 6 months, told AFP of her anxiety over vacant shelves in and around Washington.

As soon as my baby was born, I noticed that there was a problem, and he will be 7 months old next weeksaid the mother, holding thanks to the boxes of milk sent by mail by her family and friends.

The situation is even more painful for parents of children whose health requires special milk.

So Maya, 3 weeks, lactose intolerant. We had no choice but to switch to plant-based milkfor lack of an alternative, explains his father Steve Hohman, who lives in San Diego, California.

On Feb. 17, after the deaths of two babies, manufacturer Abbott announced a “voluntary recall” to its milk powder plant in Michigan, including Similac, used by millions of American families.

The investigation removed the affected milk, but still did not resume production, exacerbating the shortage already caused by the wider supply chain and labor shortage issues.