Will Biden’s plan be successful?
On Friday (May 13), White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed the Biden administration is discussing the possibility of using the Defense Production Act to address the baby formula shortage.
However, when pressed for a timeline on when the shortage would be resolved, Psaki said the White House couldn’t give an indication.
Instead, Psaki pointed to it being “a really important question” that is “hard for us to answer from here.”
Psaki then said that it was likely only an issue faced by smaller retailers, saying, “Sometimes the issue at play here is that bigger retailers have a more streamlined process for stocking the shelves than smaller retailers,” noting that “A lot of people go to stores in their community to go buy baby formula and it may just be that there is a bit of a delay in stocking those shelves.”
In her last address as Press Secretary, Psaki went on to bullet point the federal government would have rebates for states to address their stock regionally, in addition to allowing WIC recipients to choose their formulas.
On Thursday, the White House also announced it would be working with manufacturers to “ensure there is greater supply, consistent supply on the shelves for as long as possible.”
Part of the measures the White House revealed the federal government would be taking included “expediting the import of infant formula from abroad and calling on both online and in-store retailers to establish purchasing limits to prevent the possibility of hoarding.”
