U-S Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer says the federal government must do more to address the critical shortage of baby formula. Finkenauer says as a 33 year old, she has a lot of friends who have babies and she began hearing about the shortage weeks ago. At the end of April, Finkenauer called on President Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act.
“This is a crisis in our country,” Finkenauer says. “…When something like this h
happens where you’ve got parents across the country trying desperately to get the nutrients for their children that they need and they can’t find it, that’s a national emergency and it needs to be addressed.”
Finkenauer is one of three Democrats competing to run against Republican Senator Chuck Grassley in the General Election. Grassley yesterday wrote a letter to the Food and Drug Administration and he wrote on Twitter that he is demanding “answers on what they’re doing to make sure families have access to the baby formula they need.:
Finkenauer says more “can be done and should be done…When it comes to our parents trying to feed their kids, all he’s doing is sending a strongly worded letter to the FDA.”
A firm that tracks baby formula sales nationwide found 43% of the most popular brands were sold out last week. Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra is co-sponsoring legislation to change FDA regulations of baby formula and it could let more baby formula made in other countries be sold in the U.S.
The Biden Administration has just announced the FDA will act to speed up baby formula imports from Mexico, Chile, Ireland and the Netherlands. The president is calling on state attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission to promptly investigate allegations of price gouging.