Melania Trump Alludes that Lack of Leadership Worsensed Baby Formula Shortage

Melania Trump thinks that lack of leadership worsened the baby formula shortage in the U.S. The former first lady also said that this problem should not be happening to the children of America in the 21st century.

Speaking with Fox & Friends Weekend in a rare interview since she left the White House, Trump said that it's "heartbreaking to see" families struggling to find food for their babies. When asked why this was happening, the former first lady blamed the lack of leadership in the Biden administration, which defeated the Trump administration in the 2020 presidential race.

Her husband, former President Donald Trump, also criticized President Joe Biden for the baby formula shortage and said that the Biden administration prioritized giving Ukraine $40 billion in aid. The former president reiterated that the policy should be "America First."

Claim: White House Knew of Crisis Since October

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn claimed that the White House was aware of the baby formula shortage since October 2021. Blackburn believed that the mismanagement of this crisis reflected a "broken" Biden administration.

The senator also said Democrats should be spending time getting the baby formula to families than advocating for "abortion-on-demand." She shared that manufacturer Abbott has released a phone number for parents or caregivers to request the milk they need.

However, some netizens blamed the Trump administration for the baby formula shortage because of the former president's North American trade agreement during his term. This agreement discourages the imports of baby formula products, per The Atlantic.

The U.S. has one of the strictest policies for baby formula production. Only three companies dominate 90 percent of the locally-produced milk supplies-Abbott, Gerber, and Mead Johnson.

Baby Formula Shortage to Continue till End of 2022

Meanwhile, Murray Kessler, the CEO of Perrigo, which exclusively manufactures baby formula for Amazon and Walmart, predicted that this crisis will continue until the end of 2022. He said that Perrigo ramped up production at its Ohio and Vermont facilities by 115 percent upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) request, per Reuters.

The FDA asked the company to focus on increasing supplies of the most in-demand products, such as Enfamil Gentle Ease, Enfamil Infant, Similac Pro Sensitive, and Similac Pro Advance, which Abbott used to produce before its plant was ordered to shut down in February due to contamination. Despite the FDA's request, Kessler said that supplies would be erratic for the rest of the year unless Abbott resumes production.

Abbott said it could restart production in the next two weeks, subject to FDA permission. However, it will take six to eight weeks for the milk supply to be back on store shelves. Abbott also said that the FDA investigation revealed that their formula products were not linked to infant illnesses.