Who's to blame for the nationwide baby formula shortage? During his monthly news conference, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called it a "colossal failure" by the federal government, which failed to prevent a "foreseeable crisis." Utah's Republican congressmen have also criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough to deal with the shortage. A new survey by Demographic Intelligence indicates that decreased breastfeeding, panic buying and the wildly fluctuating number of births have all contributed to the shortage. What are Utah's elected officials doing? Reps. John Curtis, Blake Moore, Burgess Owens and Chris Stewart all voted against providing $28 million to the Food and Drug Administration to address the issue. Only 12 Republican House members joined with Democrats in supporting the bill, which passed with 231 votes. House Republicans argued providing money to the FDA is unnecessary and that it would do little to get at the root of the problem. Utah's congressman have proposed their own legislation to combat the shortage. Sen. Mike Lee, Stewart and Burgess have proposed their own legislation to help with the problem. What is the federal government doing? President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act on Wednesday, ordering suppliers to "ensure that manufacturers have the necessary ingredients to make safe, healthy infant formula here at home," according to a White House fact sheet. Biden also launched “Operation Fly Formula,” directing the Health and Human Services and Agriculture departments to use Department of Defense commercial aircraft to pick up overseas infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards and speed its way to store shelves. Why does it matter? It's not as simple as just telling mothers to breastfeed, as my colleague Lois Collins reported. A variety of issues can make it difficult or even impossible for women to breastfeed their babies. Children who use specialized formulas have been the hardest hit by the shortage, according to medical experts. Two Tennessee children have been hospitalized after experiencing dehydration and diarrhea when other formulas didn't meet their nutritional needs. More in Politics How is the GOP primary race for Senate shaping up in Utah? New poll has answers (Deseret News) Idaho Gov. Little is the type of Republican the U.S. needs, Utah Gov. Cox says (Deseret News) Perspective: How has America changed under Roe v. Wade? (Deseret News) From chaos to community: How some Loudoun County residents found common ground on transgender rights (Deseret News) What is ESG and why is Glenn Beck blaming high gas prices on it? (Deseret News) Elon Musk ditches Democrats, now says they’re the party of ‘division and hate’ (Deseret News) |