Lowcountry pediatrician and Democratic candidate for the First Congressional District Dr. Annie Andrews today released the following statement calling on President Joe Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act to address the baby formula shortage:
“As a pediatrician and a mom, I know firsthand how important access to baby formula is for new mothers and their children. The current baby formula shortage is nothing short of an emergency and it’s time for our country to act. President Biden should invoke the Defense Production Act to increase the domestic production of baby formula in the United States. The President has already invoked the DPA several times – to speed up production of COVID vaccines and to bolster production of critical minerals and metals used to manufacture electric vehicles. Baby formula is the only life-sustaining resource many families have and the current shortage puts the lives of countless vulnerable infants at risk. There are numerous reasons for this shortage – formula recalls, labor shortages and supply chain delays caused by a global pandemic. While some candidates seek to focus on who to blame for this crisis, I’m focused on solving the problem at hand. All infants deserve access to baby formula and the quickest and most effective way to ensure that is for the President to invoke the Defense Production Act.”
