{"id":7931,"date":"2022-05-24T16:17:23","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T16:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lonecandle.com\/?p=7931"},"modified":"2022-05-24T16:17:23","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T16:17:23","slug":"bidens-baby-formula-airlift-stunt-should-never-have-been-necessary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/?p=7931","title":{"rendered":"Biden’s Baby Formula Airlift Stunt Should Never Have Been Necessary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\n“America’s current shortage of baby formula is a crisis created, in significant part, by the failures of government policy<\/a> aimed at protecting domestic companies from foreign competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But rather than sweep aside the rules and regulations that have contributed to this mess, the Biden administration and Congress are gearing up to address a problem created by industrial policy with\u2026more industrial policy. We’re now weeks into the crisis, but the best response that our political leaders have been able to muster is an attempt to use public resources to duplicate the market response that would have solved (or at least eased) the mess if it had merely been allowed to operate. The entire saga is a sad and infuriating commentary about the entirely predictable failures of central planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take the White House’s latest idea for addressing the shortage as a perfect example. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced<\/a> plans to send military aircraft to Europe\u2014”Operation Fly Formula,” as the White House is calling it\u2014to bring back formula for American parents.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The baby formula shortage isn’t the result of there not being enough planes to transport baby formula from Europe to the U.S.; it’s the result of the federal government making it nearly impossible<\/a> to transport baby formula from Europe to the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Reason<\/em>‘s Elizabeth Nolan Brown explained earlier this week<\/a>, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rules that prohibit many baby formulas made in Europe from being imported to the U.S. have nothing to do with health or nutritional safety issues<\/a>. Often, those brands are banned because they fail to meet the FDA’s labeling requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the U.S. imposes huge tariffs<\/a>\u2014technically tariff-rate quotas, which are designed to make it completely unprofitable to import more than a small amount of a certain product\u2014on imported formula. Those tariffs exist for no reason other than to protect domestic formula manufacturers and the American dairy industry that supplies them. As a result, about 98 percent<\/a> of the formula sold in the United States is produced here as well.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Rather than moving to ease those regulations, however, the House of Representatives approved a bill on Wednesday that throws $28 million at the FDA to “boost the part of the workforce focused on formula, as well as FDA inspection staff,” according to CBS News<\/a>. As if the FDA deserves to be rewarded for its incompetence and over-regulation of baby formula. This crisis demands less from the FDA, not more.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Biden’s Baby Formula Airlift Stunt Should Never Have Been Necessary<\/a><\/blockquote>