HAVE YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANKS.
>> Harris: ABBOTT LABS IS
PRODUCING BABY FORMULA AT ITS
MICHIGAN PLANT OVER THE WEEKEND.
IT WAS SHUT DOWN IN FEBRUARY
HELPING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE
NATIONWIDE SHORTAGE.
ABBOTT SAYS IT WILL NEED WEEKS,
MORE THAN TWO, BEFORE THE
PRODUCTS ARE BACK ON THE
SHELVES AND MANY ARE GOING
AFTER THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION’S HANDLING OF
THE CRISIS.
LAST WEEK THE PRESIDENT SAID HE
DIDN’T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE
CRISIS UNTIL APRIL.
COMMERCE SECRETARY SAID THE
SAME THING.
>> WHEN DID YOU FIRST LEARN OF
THIS PROBLEM?
>> I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT IT,
YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF MONTHS
AGO.
>> SO APRIL?
>> IT’S A DIFFICULT ISSUE.
>> YES, PROBABLY APRIL.
IMNOT INVOLVED IN THE
ADMINISTRATION’S RESPONSE BUT I
THINK THEY’RE DOING A VERY GOOD
JOB.
>> Harris: SENATOR MARSHA
BLACKBURN SITS ON THE JUDICIARY
AND SENATE ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEE.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU IN FOCUS.
YOU HAVE BROUGHT US RICH DETAIL
ON THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC AND
OTHERS.
I WANT TO LEAN IN HARD, THOUGH,
WHY DOES SHE SOUND LIKE THE
PRESIDENT?
WILL THIS BE THE PLAYBOOK, I
DIDN’T KNOW?
>> YEAH.
YOU KNOW, HARRIS, THEY WANT TO
BE THE HEROES IN THIS BUT THEIR
RESPONSE SHOULD EARN THEM AN F
GRADE.
THEY KNEW ABOUT THIS, THEY KNEW
IN FEBRUARY WE WERE DOWN 25% AS
FAR AS THE FORMULA OUTAGES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY WERE
TRENDING.
THEY SHUT DOWN THIS ABBOTT
FACILITY WITH NO PLAN TO BRING
IT BACK UP.
SO OF COURSE THEY KNEW IT WAS
GOING TO GET WORSE IF THEY WERE
THINKING THIS THROUGH LONG TERM
AND LOOKING FOR AN EXIT STRAJ
GEE. OBVIOUSLY THEY WERE NOT.
IT WAS JUST SHUT IT DOWN.
BLAME ABBOTT AND LEAVE IT THERE.
NOW AT THIS POINT RIGHT NOW WE
ARE AT A 74% OUTAGE RATE ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
YOU HAVE STATES LIKE TENNESSEE
STILL ABOUT 90.
YOU HAVE GEORGIA 94% OUTAGE.
PEOPLE CANNOT GET NECESSARY
LIFE-GIVING FORMULA FOR THEIR
BABIES.
THEY CAN’T GET IT.
AND THE ADMINISTRATION SAYS PAT
US ON THE BACK.
WE HAVE A PLAN NOW.
WE’LL IMPORT THIS.
BUT NO, THEY SHOULD BE HELD TO
ACCOUNT FOR THIS.
THEY KNEW THIS WAS A PROBLEM
AND THEY HAD NO PLAN TO
MITIGATE IT.
AND HARRIS, THAT FORMULA THAT
IS SITTING IN THE WAREHOUSES AT
THE BORDER, WE KNOW THAT THOSE
COMING WITH CHILDREN ARE GOING
TO NEED SOME BUT WE ALSO KNOW
FORMULA HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE.
SAN ANTONIO, HOUSTON, CITIES
ALONG SOUTH TEXAS THAT ARE AT
THE TOP OF THE LIST OF
SHORTAGES, THEY SHOULD OPEN
THIS AND ALLOW THESE PARENTS TO
COME GET SOME OF THIS FORMULA
TO HELP SAVE THOSE CHILDREN.
>> Harris: YOU ARE SO RIGHT
ABOUT THAT.
I LEARNED FROM YOU, SENATOR
BLACKBURN, THAT ONCE THOSE
EXPIRATION DATES HIT IT IS A
PURE GARBAGE SITUATION.
THEY COULD BE SAVING LIVES
RIGHT NOW AND NOT HAVE TO THROW
IT OUT.
LET’S MOVE.
WHAT YOU SAID WAS THEY KNEW
ABOUT THIS SO THEY ARE EITHER
LYING OR COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S WORSE.
A NEW "WASHINGTON EXAMINER"
OP-ED ASKS THE QUESTION WHO IS
IN CHARGE OF BIDEN’S BABY
FORMULA RESPONSE?
IS THE HEAD OF THE FDA OR THE
HHS, THE DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE IN CHARGE?
NOBODY KNOWS.
NOT THAT THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS
CORPS HASN’T BEEN ASKING.
REPORTERS HAVE BEEN GETTING
FRUSTRATED.
CHECK THIS WOMAN OUT LAST WEEK
WITH NBC.
ESSENTIALLY TELLING PRESS
SECRETARY HOW TO DO HER JOB.
WATCH TOGETHER.
>> TO SAY THERE WAS NO SPECIFIC
PERSON IS NOT AN ANSWER WHEN
YOU HAVE SENIOR ASSISTANTS TO
THE PRESIDENT, THERE IS A PAPER
TRAIL I’M SURE ABOUT BRIEFING
THE PRESIDENT.
DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL, A
CHIEF OF STAFF.
AT SOME POINT WE NEED TO KNOW
WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST
LIKELY PERSON TO TALK TO.
YOU CAN’T EVADE THIS.
>> Harris: OH TO THE PRESIDENT.
SENATOR.
>> YES, AND YOU HAVE TO SAY WHO
IS TRYING TO SOLVE THIS?
WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE?
WHO WAS THE TEAM LEADER FOR
OVERSEEING THE ABBOTT FACILITY?
WHO WAS THE TEAM LEADER OF THAT
PROJECT?
WHO DID THEY GIVE THEIR
INFORMATION TO?
WHO SAID SHUT IT DOWN AND THEN
HAD NO PLAN FOR MITIGATING THE
ISSUE AND GETTING THE PLANT
REOPENED KNOWING THAT THE PLANT
MANUFACTURED OVER 40% OF ALL
THE BABY FORMULA SOLD IN THIS
COUNTRY?
SO HERE IS PART OF IT.
NO ONE IS IN CHARGE OR EITHER
YOU HAVE SUCH A SMALL GROUP
THAT IS IN CHARGE THAT THEY
SAID OH WELL, LET’S JUST PUSH
THAT TO THE SIDE AND IT NEVER
MADE IT TO THE TOP OF THE HEAP.
THEY ARE TOO BUSY OPENING THE
BORDER.
THERE IS CRIME IN THE STREETS.
INFLATION.
THE PRICE AT THE PUMP.
THE ISSUES ARE OUT OF CONTROL
AND YOU HAVE TO WONDER WHY ARE
THEY DOING THIS AND WHY ARE
THEY MAKING DECISIONS THAT
COMPLICATE THE LIVES OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE EVERY SINGLE
DAY?
>> Harris: WHY, WHY, WHY?
AGAIN INCOMPETENCE OR SOMETHING
ELSE.
ALL OF IT DOESN’T LOOK GOOD.
YOU MENTIONED THE BORDER.
LET’S GET THERE.
NOW WE’RE STARING DOWN ANOTHER
CARAVAN THAT IS YET TO LEAVE
BUT IT IS WAITING.
THEY’LL LEAVE MEXICO FOR THE
UNITED STATES BORDER LATER
TODAY.
THE ORGANIZER SAYS IT’S 10,000
PEOPLE.
MASSING OVER THE BORDER AND
THAT COULD SWELL TO 15,000 BY
LATER TODAY WHEN THEY GET READY TO CROSS OVER.
TO CROSS OVER.
THIS IS IN SOUTH MEXICO.
BIDEN STILL HASN’T VISITED THE
BORDER.
THIS IS A YEAR SINCE KAMALA
HARRIS WAS THERE.
SHE DIDN’T GO TO THE REALLY BAD
PART.
SHE WENT TO A DIFFERENT PART
BUT SHE WENT NEAR IT.
HASN’T BEEN THERE IN A YEAR.
HOW CAN YOU FIX WHAT YOU DON’T
SEE?
>> THEY’RE TRYING TO PRETEND IT
IS NOT A PROBLEM.
THIS IS THEIR BORDER POLICY.
OPEN THE SOUTHERN BORDER.
THE CARTELS ARE IN CHARGE.
LAST YEAR THERE WERE PEOPLE
FROM 160 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
WE KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM
RUSSIA AND UKRAINE WHO ARE IN
THE GROUP WAITING TO COME
ACROSS THE BORDER NOW.
SO HARRIS, WHAT THIS
ADMINISTRATION IS DOING IS
SUBJECTING PEOPLE TO SEX
SLAVERY, TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING,
TO DRUG TRAFFICKING.
THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING AND
PEOPLE HAVING THEIR LIVES
RUINED.
THESE CHILDREN THOUGHT THEY
WERE GOING TO COME AND HAVE A
BETTER LIFE.
BUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING,
THEY’VE GOT AN I.D. BRACE LET
ON THEM FROM THE CARTEL.
THEY WILL BE SURE THEY PAY OFF
THEIR DEBT AND MONITOR THEM AND
FOLLOW THEM.
THAT IS MODERN DAY SLAVERY AND
IT HAS TO STOP.
>> Harris: WHEN THEY DON’T PAY
UP WE WON’T TALK ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENS THAT.
THESE CHILDREN ARE CONSIDERED
TO BE DISPOSABLE IN THE WORST FASHION BY THE CARTELS.
FASHION BY THE CARTELS.
WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE I.D.
BRACELETS.
I DON’T KNOW HOW THE GOVERNMENT
CAN WATCH THAT AND NOT WANT TO
DO SOMETHING.
I DON’T KNOW HOW HUMAN BEINGS
IN THE WHITE HOUSE CAN DO THAT.
ALWAYS GREAT TO HAVE YOU IN