U.S. News
Biden says he was made aware of baby formula crisis only in April
- President Joe Biden said that he was not aware of the infant formula crisis until early April.
- He said he had not anticipated the severity of the impact of Abbott’s facility shutdown.
- White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later stated that the administration has been working on the issue since the Abbott recall in February.
President Joe Biden stated that he only became aware of the severity of the infant formula shortage in early April, but that the administration “did everything in our power from that point on.”
The supply of baby formula, already strained amid the pandemic, was further impacted following a shutdown of Abbott’s manufacturing plant in Michigan in mid-February. Abbott also issued a nationwide recall for all brands of powdered formula manufactured at the facility after an inspection by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed unsanitary conditions and multiple strains of bacteria that can be deadly to infants.
The shutdown and recall heavily impacted the supply, since Abbott is one of only four companies responsible for an estimated 90 percent of the U.S. formula market.
Biden stated during a meeting with formula manufacturers, “I don’t think anyone anticipated the impact of the shutdown of one facility.”
Executives from some of the leading manufacturers said that they knew of the significant impact of the shutdown, however.
Reckitt’s senior vice president, Robert Cleveland, stated, “We knew from the very beginning this would be a very serious event.” He said that he immediately contacted retail partners, such as Walmart and Target, to facilitate orders and help push stock from distribution centers to store shelves.
Perrigo CEO Murray Kessler made a similar statement: “We could foresee this would create a tremendous shortage. We significantly increased all our material orders.”
Biden’s remarks also contrasted with statements from administration officials.
On Wednesday’s press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that the administration has been working on the issue since “day one” of the Abbott recall in February.
She declined to elaborate on why the president was not aware of the crisis until April, however, since she could not confirm the timeline.
Jean-Pierre stated, “The president is frustrated himself about the situation, about the issue that we have, and he is frustrated on behalf of the American families. He is doing everything that he can to make sure that we take action.”
No representative for Abbott was present at Wednesday’s meeting. Jean-Pierre suggested that the administration may have wanted to keep discussions about the reopening of Abbott’s Michigan plant private.
Jean-Pierre explained, “We understand Abbott is working hard to get back to safely main infant formula. That process is ongoing and should remain between them.”
A legal agreement between Abbott and the FDA allows its facility to reopen as soon as it can meet the agency’s safety standards.
Abbott is hopeful that it could reopen this week, but there is no indication yet from regulators.
Source: The Hill
ox
June 2, 2022 at 7:32 am
Total incompetence., Lying corrupt Quid Pro KING Joe, can’t remember on any given day what the POTUS ate for lunch. This senile corrupt old fart with one foot in the grave won’t remember if he was told a couple of moths ago, the Abbott plant was shut down and there is going to be a shortage of baby formula. I’m surprised Corrupt Quid pro hasn’t blamed Trump for the Shortage. Standard. MO, everyone is to blame except Corrupt Quid Pro. This buffoon needs to be taken out of the W/H and placed in an assisted living facility. What is needed is one impeachment trial, with mass impeachments, Unqualified corrupt Quid Pro and his unqualified bureaucrats need to go.
Redrag
June 3, 2022 at 6:48 am
JB is only a puppet with the last hateful toward this country, and finding father’s president pulling on the strings. This very simply shows and PROVES that the newer party members do NOT care about the citizens of this country like the party of old. It has been changing after they shot JFK. This party only cares about their power. We people mean nothing to them other than making slaves again.
Mike L
June 3, 2022 at 7:15 am
Face the facts, Biden is senile and generally “kept out of the loop”. His backroom WH handlers push him in front of a podium or trot him out for a public appearance just to make it look like he is in charge. His administration is either totally incompetent or deliberately performing some dangerous sort of social experiment in order to “fundamentally change” our way of life.
Anya
June 3, 2022 at 11:50 am
Barack stated he was going to fundamentally change the country and now, in his third term, he is.
Penelope
June 3, 2022 at 8:46 am
Just shows how out of touch with us peons, this administration is.
Somehow, I have the distinct feeling, Brandon still does not know about the baby formula shortage.
Lois Egan
June 3, 2022 at 9:00 am
Old Cotton Top has no clue how to run a country, he’s told what to say and he follows like a good old puppy.. I would like to know what is wrong with his wife? How can she watch him make a fool of himself with the lies he tells daily.. He was a truck driver, a midshipmen, beat up Cornpop, anyone know where Corn pop is? Donald Trump runs rings around him — LET’S BRING HIM BACK!!!
tj
June 4, 2022 at 9:00 am
Lois, Jill Biden has appetite for power and will pay any price for it, even at the expense of Fumbles, Bumbles Joe. They have use any excuse to exempt fault for misdoings. Hunter’s problems are related to issues growing up with this power and using to shield him from penalties of consequences. Believe even , Joe is reaping what he has sowed for many years, bearing stress of carrying the lies for so many years
Coolmeadow Kid
June 3, 2022 at 9:05 am
It took two to three weeks from the point that the baby formula issue hit the fan in the press to formulate the narrative that the administration has been working on the Abbott recall issue since February????? This administration’s Puppet Masters aren’t dumb. They are counting on we the people to be dumb and follow them off the cliff. They are doing any and everything in their power they can think of to create crisis after crisis in their attempt to make the citizens of the United States become 100% reliant on the government. Sadly, their followers are the Sheeple the Left is banking on. The rest of us, thankfully, aren’t.
Clint Stevens
June 3, 2022 at 10:08 am
Not only is Joe clueless, but he’s also a pathological liar.
Sean Richman
June 3, 2022 at 12:12 pm
Hey joey,this is June,where were you in MAY,not solving any problems just creating more.Were you in you fake whitehouse playing with your tinker toys,or in your basement making dolls of patriot AMERICANS and sticking them with pins VOODOO style.Get in touch with AMERICANS just once.
sharon sivori
June 3, 2022 at 4:58 pm
Well biden must have forgotten as usual, Beccara stated in interview they knew about problems back in October of last year, but did nothing about baby formula. So now all the idiots who think biden doesn’t lie, guess again. I have never in all my life seen a man tell lie after lie, he doesn’t tell the truth at all!
tj
June 4, 2022 at 9:04 am
Why was the shut down of Abbotts plant even done , there was a recall initiated because of 4 infants became sick (4 REALLY,4) .There is more to this story then is being told and how come the for so long?
Mona Peterson
June 4, 2022 at 1:32 pm
TWO INFANTS DIED !!! OBVIOUSLY YOU DON’T ACTUALLY BOTHER TO RESEARCH. LOOK AT WHAT CAUSED PREVIOUS FACTORY RECALLS AND SHUT DOWNS. ASK WHY TRUMP ELIMINATED FOOD INSPECTIONS AND INSPECTORS..