Nancy Pelosi says Rep. Elise Stefanik was ‘irresponsible’ to blame baby formula shortage on Biden

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that a Tweet by Rep. Elise Stefanik saying the infant formula shortage is President Biden’s fault was “irresponsible.”

On Friday, the Republican congresswoman from New York Tweeted, “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.”

The claim that the Biden administration is shipping infant formula to the southern border has not been confirmed but is based on the Flores Act, which requires the government to provide formula to babies who have crossed the US border and are in US custody at detention centers while they are processed.

Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Pelosi was asked by moderator George Stefonopolous about Stefanik’s Tweet about the shortage. “As usual, her statement is totally irresponsible. Babies are crying. We need to get them food,” Pelosi said.

She added that congressional Democrats have called for multiple hearings on the issue. “The president is quite correct,” she said. “We must do something as quickly as possible, but as safely as possible, and use caution for these babies. But we have to move quickly to do that.”

The Food and Drug Administration reached a deal with Abbott, the maker of Similac, to reopen the closed Michigan plant after it is confirmed to be free of bacteria. The United States also reached a deal to import more infant formula from abroad in order to address the shortage.