Local lawmakers react to formula shortage | State News

ALBANY — Governor Kathleen C. Hochul on Friday announced resources for New York families amid national infant formula shortages.
“In close coordination with our federal partners, New York State will continue to do everything possible to support New York families who need formula for their infants,” Hochul said in a press release. “My administration is committed to ensuring that every newborn and every child has access to the nutritional support they need to stay healthy. I urge all parents and guardians to take advantage of these resources and stay up to date with important information for caring for their families.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EFFORTS
In light of recent formula supply issues, the New York State Department of Health has increased communication with formula manufacturers to monitor box size production, sourcing and shipments.
The New York State WIC for Women, Infants and Children program was able to help participants obtain needed formulas from alternative stores with formulas in stock and coordinate with manufacturers to provide forms to participants when they cannot find them locally. New York WIC attendees should contact their local office for assistance in locating products.
Through Wanda, the department’s chatbot, New Yorkers can receive direct, online navigation assistance accessible through a “personal WIC assistant” and see if their child is eligible for WIC benefits.
Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, said in a statement that his office has been in contact with the United Way of the Adirondacks Area to deal with the crisis.
“The formula shortage occurring nationwide is concerning, and I had a conversation with John Bernardi, CEO of United Way of the Adirondacks, to get the formula and resources needed to help residents of the North Country in need,” Jones said.
In a series of press releases, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, criticized President Joe Biden’s administration for its handling of the shortage.
“Biden and the FDA need to work directly with manufacturers and hospitals to make sure we have an adequate supply of formula and parents know where to go if the shelves are empty at the store,” Stefanik said.
As a mother herself, Stefanik said she can appreciate the seriousness of the situation.
“My son, Sam, is 9 months old. He is formula fed, and even on my trips to the grocery store in upstate New York, the shelves have been pretty empty,” Stefanik said.
In a later statement, Stefanik criticized the Biden administration’s efforts to provide children of migrant families on the U.S.-Mexico border with formula supplies in light of the nationwide shortage.
“Like every other crisis he has created in America today, Joe Biden has no plan and he is passing the buck to himself. I will not stop standing up for American mothers, fathers and grandparents who trying to feed their babies,” Stefanik wrote.
Stefanik pointed to a letter his office sent to the Food and Drug Administration on Feb. 28 calling for a response to formula recalls at that time.
Stefanik also announced that she and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, have asked the FDA “to provide a clear timeline for when the infant formula inventory should be sufficiently replenished as well as a plan.” term to minimize disruption to the baby formula supply chain.”
In a Friday afternoon tweet, Stefanik called out “the White House, House Democrats and regular pedophiles” for their response to the formula shortage, using an abbreviation for pedophile in line with a recent flurry of Republican lawmakers using the term in relation to their political opponents.
In a press release, Democrat Matt Putorti, the impeachment candidate for Stefanik in the midterm elections for the 21st congressional district, pushed back against the congresswoman’s response.
“Instead of addressing the fundamental issues and solving the problems of all families, Congresswoman Stefanik advocates that babies detained in the United States be starved, in violation of basic morality and American law,” Putorti said. “His statements are a dog whistle designed to stoke racism and xenophobia and ultimately divide us by pitting families against each other.”
Matt Castelli, the other Democratic candidate vying for the NY-21 congressional seat, echoed Putorti’s criticism of Stefanik’s statements.
In explaining the crisis, Castelli also pointed to “the combination of a broken supply chain that Congresswoman Stefanik refuses to help fix, Trump’s remaining trade restrictions on powdered formula imports from Canada that she supported, monopolistic practices she won’t face and safety reminders that we can’t ignore (that) have left shelves empty and parents scared.
The media pointed out that the tariff and quota restrictions imposed on the Canadian dairy industry under the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement negotiated under President Donald Trump were partly exacerbating the shortage of infant formula.