House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Sunday that a tweet by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) blaming the baby formula shortage on the Biden administration was “irresponsible.”
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” moderator George Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi about Stefanik’s tweet in which she claimed that the Biden administration was sending baby formula to migrants at the southern border and cited that as the reason for why there is a shortage of formula.
“As usual, her statement is totally irresponsible. Babies are crying. We need to get them food,” Pelosi told Stephanopoulos, adding that the House Education and Labor Committee would take up considerations for lowering regulations to purchase more formula amid supply chain issues.
“The president is quite correct. We must do something as quickly as possible, but as safely as possible, and use cautionfor these babies. But we have to move quickly to do that,” Pelosi told Stephanopoulos.
In a tweet on Friday, Stefanike wrote: “Joe Biden continues to put America LAST by shipping pallets of baby formula to the southern border as American families face empty shelves. This is unacceptable. American mothers and their babies shouldn’t suffer because of the #BidenBorderCrisis.”
Also Friday, Pelosi sent a letter to her fellow Democratic colleagues that indicated the House plans to consider a bill that will give emergency authority to the WIC (Women, Infant and Children) program to address supply chain disruptions and recalls that led to the shortage.
“Doing so will empower the federal government to relax certain non-safety-related regulations during times of shortage so that we can get nutrition into the mouths of America’s babies,” the letter read. “With this step, we maintain our laser focus on protecting the health and well-being of our babies – now and for the rest of their lives.”