Wash Post fact-checker calls uproar over Biden sending baby formula to border amidst shortage 'faux outrage'
Formula shortages hit 43% the first week of May
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler dismissed concerns the Biden administration was sending baby formula to border facilities during a nationwide shortage Thursday.
Parents have been struggling to find the essential commodity in stores, with supply dipping to 43% below normal, according to Datasembly, which tracks product data for retailers.
However, Kessler defended the administration's actions and called the concerns "faux outrage."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bare shelves at a Seattle Walgreens (Jason Rantz)
"This is a ridiculous faux outrage. The shortage of baby formula is a serious issue that the administration is seeking to address. But at the same time, the administration cannot be faulted for following the law and providing baby formula to undocumented immigrants," he wrote.
He cited the 1997 Flores Settlement, which details how border facilities must meet the basic needs of detained illegal immigrant minors, including providing age-appropriate food and drink.
"Anyone who suggests this is the result of specific Biden policies, i.e., his ‘reckless, out-of-touch priorities,’ earns Four Pinocchios," Kessler argued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Both the White House and FDA have said they are working to address the nationwide shortage. But Republicans are urging the administration to act swiftly, calling it a "crisis for families."
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO BLAME FOR BABY FORMULA SHORTAGE: REP. KAT CAMMACK
A sign telling consumers of limits on the purchase of baby formula hangs on the edge of an empty shelf for the product in a King Soopers grocery store, Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in southeast Denver. Parents across the country are struggling to find baby formula in stock in stores because of supply chain disruptions combined with a massive safety recall. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Kessler's fact-check was prompted by Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla. sharing side-by-side photos of barely stocked formula at one store next to stocked shelves of formula at a border facility, in a viral social media post.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Republican wrote on Twitter, "The first photo is from this morning at the Ursula Processing Center at the U.S. border. Shelves and pallets packed with baby formula. The second is from a shelf right here at home. Formula is scarce. This is what America last looks like."