GOP cares about fetuses but not babies

Nearly 200 Republicans vote against bill to ease baby formula shortage

At time when Republicans are trying to use the baby formula shortages as grounds to citizens Biden, them voting down party lines to oppose this just seems like they're trying to exacerbate the problem for their political ends. Oh do they know no low.

What else is new. They don't care. They just want to use it against Biden. If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem. Today's GOP.

The FDA incompetence is what made this situation as bad as it got. What is giving more money to the FDA going to do? Doesn't even make sense.. FDA isn't making formula

Of course republicans are against abortion. If babies aren't born, how are they supposed to laugh at their starvation?

So you are against easing baby formula shortages? Why do you want babies to die?

In her opening statement, Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) accused agency officials of “dereliction of duty” by failing to immediately look into a whistleblower complaint about improper procedures at the Abbott facility in Sturgis, Mich.

“The FDA knew about what Abbott was doing in October,” DeLauro said of claims the company was falsifying records, failing to adequately clean the plan and releasing untested formula, “but it was not until late December that the FDA interviewed the whistleblower. And then, not until a month after that –late January — was the plant inspected in person. Abbott then issued a recall in February, some four months late.”

DeLauro also slammed the FDA for only releasing safety “guidance” for approved manufacturers, instead of requirements.

“You don’t have in place a mechanism that would guarantee the safety right now, you just don’t,” she told Califf. “That guidance does not allow you to determine and to define the safety of the products that may be coming from facilities that are not FDA-approved.”

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) also swiped at the agency during his line of questioning, accusing it of failing to provided detailed information about the Abbott investigation.

“You can talk about it anonymously. You should talk about it [publicly],” Pocan said. “One problem I’ve seen over and over with the FDA in my 10 years here is you guys aren’t good at communicating. And, you know, this is something parents are asking us about, they want to know what happened. You all gotta get that down to explaining in a way that real people can understand. I understand there’s a science behind it. But it’s not acceptable to say that you can’t comment on it.”

During a second round of questioning, DeLauro revisited the transparency issue, telling Califf “you can’t hide behind an investigation.”

“We need answers. We need them now,” she continued. “Who received this report? What did they do with who was heading the FDA at that time? My understanding is that the acting commissioner was Janet Woodcock, what did she know about this? So who was handling all of this and was this report lent to the FDA and investigated?”

“Well, as I’ve said, you’ve got the timeline down and you’ve got the key issues. I know we have an oversight hearing next week [May 25]. And we’ll be prepared to go into much more detail at that point,” Califf responded. “And you know, as I’ve said, we could do better than we did.”

“Oversight committee next week,” DeLauro interrupted. “You’re before the committee that funds what you do. So this information is relevant to this subcommittee of appropriations.”

“I appreciate what you’re saying that — the investigation is not completed yet. And so I’m not in a position to answer specifics like that,” Califf hedged.

DeLauro then ripped Califf for his lack of response.

“You have no idea who received the document — physically received the document,” she said. “Where did it go? Or read it? What was the chain of command? You apparently don’t have any answers to that question. That is indicative of again, not responding to the seriousness of this issue. That says it all.”

During a media round earlier this week, the commissioner first posited that the issue is not a lack of baby formula, but problems with distribution.

“I don’t want this to sound in any way like we’re not concerned about the parents that are struggling to find formula for their children. That’s definitely happening in parts of the country,” he told CNN on Monday before insisting “there is formula out there.”

“But you know, the number of stock on shelves is about 90% before … the recall, and it dropped to about 79% at its lowest, and we’re on the way back up now.”

FDA is incompetent losers and the solution is to give them a shit ton of money.

amazin

https://nypost.com/2022/05/19/fdas-califf-to-face-lawmakers-during-baby-formula-shortage/

The funding is to increase inspections to expedite sourcing of formula, and also prevent further fraudulent products.

The funds would provide the FDA with the resources to prevent fraudulent products from being placed on shelves, a House Appropriations Committee statement said.

They would also be used to strengthen the FDA's workforce focused on formula issues and increase inspection staff, it added.

"We are making sure that a lack of funding is not a barrier to getting safe formula to parents and to babies," Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro, who introduced the legislation, told a news conference.

Are you suggesting this would not occur with these funds? Sounds to me you're just being tribal.

You just used quotes from DeLauro to show FDA issues, but she also agrees with these funds to alleviate said issues.

Sounds to me you're just being tribal.

@sargentd: Babies need formula. That is the most important issue.

He only cares about the fetus, not babies.

@zaryia: FDA fails at their job and instead of taking accountability asks for money.

FDA funding will do nothing with the current formula shortage. If you want to claim it could possibly prevent it years from now sure.

despite all the blabber,

we are not cybernetic organisms, can live without pharma cooked up formula.

sure, its easy, it helps, but being dependant on factory shit is dumb. especially for youngins.

theres a way, fucking find it rather than bitch. im a man and not a "birthing person" but I have never had a drop of formula in my life.

Citation? How would speeding up inspections (through more workers) not speed up formula going back to shelves?

One of the main people YOU literally quoted who said FDA failed at their jobs is the person who sponsored this bill to FIX said issues.

😆

@zaryia: I know and I think that throwing millions at the FDA is not the solution

I agree about the incompetence with the FDA, disagree that giving them 23 million is the solution

Funny you didn't complain when the GOP was throwing millions at vote recounts they knew wouldn't change anything except score political points.

What else was in the bill?

The real problem here was lack of consumer protections on behalf of congress. You know, those "job killing regulations", according to Republicans. Abbott, thanks to lack of proper regulation, thanks to Republicans, was actually aborting real babies with their poisoned formula.

Oh, nevermind. It would appear two bills went in front the house to address the same problem. H.R.7791, which increased WIC funding to cover additional costs in baby formula, and H.R.7790, which is a payout to the FDA. 7791 passed 414-9, making 7790 redundant, and unnecessary.

Hmm, I wonder why this wasn't mentioned in the story cited in the original post?

Some of the GOP voted against both.

Lockdowns ultimately caused the shortages and the supply disruptions.

Lesson:

We shouldn't lockdown

Hopefully they can come together and figure this out.

Did the FDA produce an effective monopoly of this industry, including staging a bacterial outbreak in one of the manufacturers triggering a recall?

Unless of course you're arguing that we need EXTRA FDA enforcement to ensure private companies don't kill people and initiate a recalls when breaking the law.

@HoolaHoopMan: Or more effective antitrust measures.

Exactly. It's a concentrated industry that doesn't seem to allow outside product either. I'm not privy to the details as to why, but his reasoning is stupid.

Where did this 28 million number come from? Not wanting to increase the salaries "and other expenses" of the FDA means the GOP doesn't care about babies? Interesting logic.

So?

Nah screw the FDA. Let's just forget about formula entirely.

That way the caste system we've established that has us slowly backsliding into feudalism will work.

You'll have the plutonomy at the very top with a small buffer of middle-class folks that can either afford to breast-feed their kids or buy expensive formula, all supported by a large foundation of malnourished poor people that formed developmental problems in their youth and are too weak to be angry.

Sounds great!

You're absolutely right. We shouldn't make allowances for people that aren't around to breast feed their kids because they have to be back at work a couple weeks after giving birth. Or people that can't breast feed for various reasons. Or infants that were given up into social services and don't have a mother's teet around. Or infants whose mother died during childbirth.

Screw 'em, let God sort 'em out if they need formula, right? Just so long as they're born, who cares!?

Makes sense!

@Stevo_the_gamer: they think the FDA makes formula

how so?

edit: nvmd, saw subsequent post with your opinions


in any case, the solution is clear.

put the babies back in the uteri, then all will want them fed again.

Who thinks this? Your own source you used earlier even disagrees with you, and told you specifically what this bill would do:

They would also be used to strengthen the FDA's workforce focused on formula issues and increase inspection staff, it added.

"We are making sure that a lack of funding is not a barrier to getting safe formula to parents and to babies," Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro, who introduced the legislation, told a news conference.

Yuh, must be because Republicans hate babies. Couldn't possibly be that most of them think that throwing more money at the FDA won't actually solve anything.

Do you think you solve problems without spending money? All the money allocated goes to this specific problem.

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/house-bill-to-give-fda-more-funding-to-address-formula-shortage

Another failure of Republicans policies of lax regulation and uncontrolled capitalism. The real shortage is among WIC approved formulas. Everything else is on the shelves.