JEAN-PIERRE TAKES OVER MONDAY.
>> Bill: THANK YOU, PETER.
KATIE PAVLICH, GO BACK TO THE
BABY FORMULA ISSUE.
REPUBLICANS ARE SAYING THEY
WARNED THE WHITE HOUSE IN
FEBRUARY.
IT’S ALMOST JUNE.
>> YEAH, I THINK THERE IS A BIG
GOVERNMENT SCANDAL BREWING HERE.
THOSE REPORTS THAT FDA
INSPECTIONS OF THIS ABBOTT
PLANT WHICH PROVIDES THE
COUNTRY WITH UPWARDS OF 40% OF
THE COUNTRY’S BABY FORMULA SHUT
DOWN INSPECTIONS DURING COVID
WHICH DELAYED THIS INSPECTION
PROCESS UNTIL NOW.
FEBRUARY WAS THREE MONTHS AGO.
THE FDA IS TAKING A VERY SLOW
TIME MAKING SURE THIS PLANT
GETS BACK ONLINE WHEN THE
COMPANY ITSELF SAYS THEIR BABY
FORMULA IS SAFE.
THEY HAVE A STAKE IN PRODUCING
SAFE BABY FORMULA.
THE TIMELINE OF HOW THE WHITE
HOUSE WAS CAUGHT OFFGUARD IS
BECOMING VERY OBVIOUS.
JEN PSAKI YESTERDAY SAID
THEY’VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS
FOR MONTHS.
IF THAT’S THE CASE THEY’VE
COMPLETELY FAILED TO PREVENT
THIS CRISIS.
BUT THEN THE DAY BEFORE THE
INCOMPRESS SECRETARY SAID IT
WAS ASKED DIRECTLY WHO WAS IN
CHARGE OF HANDLING THIS CRISIS
AND SHE LAUGHED OUT LOUD AND
SAID SHE WOULD FIND OUT WHO WAS
IN CHARGE.
WHICH ONE IS IT?
THERE IS ALSO NOW THE SCANDAL
BREWING ABOUT PALLET LOADS OF
BABY FORMULA GOING TO BORDER
FACILITIES.
OF COURSE BABIES WHO ARE
BROUGHT OVER THE BORDER THROUGH
NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN NEED TO
BE FED.
WHILE AMERICAN FAMILIES ARE
SCROUNGING AND BEING TOLD AT
THE STORE THEY CAN ONLY BUY A
CERTAIN AMOUNT OF BABY FORMULA
FOR THEIR CHILDREN I THINK
THERE ARE BIG QUESTIONS HOW
MUCH PRODUCT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT IS BUYING, WHETHER
IT’S LOCAL STORES IN TEXAS OR
THEY HAVE SOME KIND OF CONTRACT
AND STORING IT AT THESE
FACILITIES WHILE AMERICANS
CAN’T FIND IT IN THEIR STORES
AT HOME.
>> KATIE, IT’S THE YEAR 2022
AND PARENTS ARE STRUGGLING TO
FEED THEIR BABIES.
THAT’S WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
I WILL CHANNEL DANA PERINO AND
ASK THE QUESTION IS THERE NO
ONE INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE WHO
CAN GET AHEAD OF A CRISIS, A
SCANDAL, WHO CAN ANTICIPATE
THIS?
EVEN BEFORE THE ABBOTT LABS
PLANT WAS SHUT DOWN IN
FEBRUARY, THERE WERE SUPPLY
CHAIN PROBLEMS AND SHORTAGE
PROBLEMS.
BACK THEN THEY COULD HAVE
ALLEVIATED THE TRADE BARRIERS
AND IMPORTED FORMULA AND
ALLEVIATED THE VAST ARRAY OF
REGULATION ON BABY FORMULA
PRODUCTION HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
>> YEAH, YESTERDAY THE WHITE
HOUSE PUT OUT THIS FACT SHEET
CLAIMING THEY’RE GOING TO ALLOW
WIC TO BE USED FOR BABY FORMULA.
IT IS NOT CLEAR IF THEY ARE
TAKING OFF REGULATIONS FOR
IMPORTING BABY FORMULA BECAUSE
THE FDA DOES HAVE VERY HIGH
STANDARDS.
SO WE’RE IN A CRISIS WHERE THE
STORE SHELVES ARE BARE AND YET
THE ADMINISTRATION IS NOW
COMING AROUND TO RELEASING A
FACT SHEET ABOUT WHAT THEY PLAN
TO DO ABOUT IT.
THE ISSUE IS THAT THE FDA IS
TAKING TOO LONG TO GET THIS
PLANT BACK UP AND RUNNING AND
THE ADMINISTRATION DOESN’T SEEM
TO GET THEIR TIMELINE STRAIGHT
WHEN IT COMES TO WHO IS WORKING
ON IT, WHAT THE NAME OF THE
PERSON WAS AND HOW THEY WILL
MANAGE THIS GOING INTO THE
FUTURE.
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS TALKED
REPEATEDLY ABOUT INVOKING THE
DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT FOR THE
PANDEMIC.
WHY ISN’T HE TALKING ABOUT IT
NOT JUST THIS WEEK BUT
PREVIOUSLY TO MAKE SURE THAT
THERE WASN’T A SHORTAGE IN THE
FIRST PLACE GIVEN THEY KNEW
THIS PLANT WENT OFFLINE IN
FEBRUARY AS A RESULT OF AN FDA
INSPECTION AND NEEDING TO SHUT
IT DOWN TO MAKE SURE THE
FORMULA WAS SAFE TO PROVIDE TO
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO NEED IT?
BABIES HAVE TO EAT MULTIPLE
TIMES A DAY.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY
SHOULD HAVE SEEN COMING AND NOW
THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR
IT AND EVEN NOW THIS PLANT IS
SAYING IF THEY GET BACK ON
BOARD TOMORROW, GETTING PRODUCT
TO THE SHELVES WILL TAKE AT
LEAST TWO WEEKS.
>> Bill: PUT IT ON THE LIST.