As he faces mounting political pressure over a domestic shortage caused by the safety-related closure of the country’s largest formula manufacturing plant, President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to speed up the production of infant formula and authorised flights to import supply from overseas.
In a video statement distributed by the White House on Wednesday, Biden said, “I know parents across the country are concerned about getting enough formula to feed their newborns.” “I know how hard that is as a parent and a grandparent.”
The news comes just two days after the FDA announced it was simplifying its review process to make it easier for overseas makers to start shipping more formula into the United States.
Biden asked the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture to work with the Pentagon over the next week to find overseas supplies of formula that meet U.S. criteria so that chartered Defense Department flights can quickly bring it to the United States.
