guest: we are a nonprofit representing the state and local providers of the wic program and the wic program provides nutrition assistance and nutrition services to low income pregnant, postpartum women, infants, and children under the age of five. host: who qualifies for that assistance and how many women are currently availing themselves of that aid in the united states? guest: wic is a means test the program and its income eligibility often aligns with medicaid. there are 6.2 million nationwide including 1.2 million infants who receive formula benefits through the wic program. host: how is the wic program funded? guest: it is a federal program that is administered by the states, but it is federally funded. host: is the funding under the biden administration going up or down? guest: it remains relatively consistent throughout the trump and biden administration. but one of the big pieces during the biden administration is that there has been an increase in the fruit and vegetable benefit for women and children. that has been what we have seen over the last two years. host: the connection to

program. >> host: how is the wic program funded? >> guest: it a federal program that's administered by the states but it's entirely federally funded. >> host: is the funding under the biden administration gone up or down? >> guest: it has remained relatively consistent throughout both the trump and biden administration. but i think one of the big pieces during the bidende administration is that there's been an increase in the fruit and vegetable benefit for women and children. that's been what we've seen over the last two years. >> host: the connection to theio baby formula shortage is that much, and you can tell us the amount, much of the baby formula used in this country is used by wic recipients, correct? >> guest: exactly.es about 60% of infant formula purchase in the united states is purchased by wic families. >> host: step back and tell us how the shortage in the u.s. developed. what's behind that? >> guest: the most significant driving factor behind the shortage is the closure of one of abbott nutrition manufacturing plants i

but wic falls under labor.ith this bill showed democrats are aligned on this issue and really working together not only to open up the supply chain to get milk and baby formula back on the shelves immediately, but long-term to make sure we have a plan in place so this never happens again. i can tell you that i understand completely what parents are going through right now. i was a participant in the wic program. i know what it means to not be able to stretch out milk through the entire month. that is what i heard this morning on the phone from these parents and grandparents that i was talking to. but i would like to tell them as their words are not falling on deaf ears. we see them and we hear them and we are working very hard in congress to address this rising concern. with everything going on right now the last thing a family should have to worry about is feeding their children. so again, very excitable bring this legislation to the floor of the house. we will act swiftly and vote on it move it to senate woul

despite wic beneficiaries.ow, millions of parents will have an easier time finding the baby formula they need. i want to thank senator stabenow she's been amazing in shepherding this throughput she got through the house. she came up with the idea now we are here to pass it onto the senate and send it to the president's desk but she had a great partner in cetera boseman who stepped up to the plate as well. i think them for champ being it is a mention already passed the house with overwhelming bipartisan support. i'm glad it's passing the senate. now yesterday president biden about the defense production act to respond to the shortage of baby formula that is hurting parents and caretakers of newborns across the country. present democrats in congress are taking this issue seriously and invoking the dpa with exactly the right response. too that parents and caregivers of america we hear you. we know this is unacceptable crisis the senate is taking action. president biden increase imports the safe baby formula. incre

receiving wic formula benefits. when abbott's products were recalled, caretakers already in vulnerable positions filled the products absent from the shelves the most. mr. calamari, as the primary supplier of infant formula for wic beneficiaries, does your company have obligations to these families? what actions has abbott taken to ensure that its non-recalled products or competitor products are available to these vulnerable families? mr. calamari: we take our wc -- wic very seriously. we are airlifting similac from ireland, the number one product we provide on the uic program. we prioritized that early in our action program and will sustain that in our action plan going forward. in addition, we have paid competitive rebates. in other words, when our product is not available we will pay rebates on other manufacturers' products so families can get access to the nutrition they need. going forward we will send the rebates through august. it is a scenario we will continue to look at as we think about improvement going fo

wic we're supposed to fix that. in 1974 the first wic clinic open in pineville, kentucky. today the wic program provide services in all 50 states, using federal money to pay for voters for mothers with young kids to buy healthy food like fruits and veggies and whole grain bread and baby formula. for their little kids who can't eat solid foods. for weeks now, not just wic moms, but all moms have been scouring shelves for baby formula due to a kind of perfect storm of corporate and bureaucratic and logistical failures. this nationwide shortage has turned into a full blown crisis. it is hitting those wic moms, those moms below the poverty line, especially hard. a huge part of the wic program is about supplying baby formula to mothers. of all the baby formula sold in the united states more than half is purchased by mothers on wic assistance. because this is a federal program there are restrictions on the kind of formula you can get. if you're lucky enough to find formula on the shelves, but that is not a wic approved brander size, you are out of luck. so today congress tried t

host: how is the wic program funded?st: it is a federal program that is administered by the states, but it is federally funded. host: is the funding under the biden administration going up or down? guest: it remains relatively consistent throughout the trump and biden administration. but one of the big pieces during the biden administration is that there has been an increase in the fruit and vegetable benefit for women and children. that has been what we have seen over the last two years. host: the connection to the baby formula shortage is that much and you can tell us the amount, much of the baby formula used in this country is used by wic recipients, correct? guest: exactly. about 60% is purchased by wic families. host: tell us how the shortage in the u.s. developed. what is behind that? guest: the most significant factor behind the shortage is the closure of one of abbott nutrition's manufacturing plan ts. this was a food safety concern. some deadly bacteria was found and potentially linked to at least two infant dea

over 60% of babies in this country are eligible for wic, for wic benefits. what's the price of your formula and how does it fit in to the industry? >> well, i'll first of all say that the wic program has been helping so many families for so long. so we have a lot of respect for that program. but it's of course beholden to two major contracts. so really there's a limited provider dynamic. so now we see a situation where tens of thousands of families who need help are left with nothing. you know, we feel so incredibly strong about every parent having access to quality nutrition, which is why we built the open hearted initiative into our business model from day one. so every planned subscription, every parent who signs up to our subscription automatically contributes to the donation of formula and nutrition education programs for families in need. we've targeted donating over 5 million feeds over five years. we're working in partnership with baby to baby, who is dedicated to providing children living in poverty with the basic necessities that of child deserves

it's called wic. sounds like a candle wic. one of the problems identified at that big conference was a young poor mothers were struggling to come up with the money to feed not just themselves but their babies and wican was supposed to fix that,n 1964 thein first clinic opened kentucky and today it uses federal money to buy vouchers to buy fruit and vegetables and whole grain bread and baby formula for their little kids who can't eat solid food. for weeks now, not just wic moms but all moms have been scouring shelves for baby formula, due to a kind of a perfect storm of corporate and bureaucratic and logistical failures.lu this nationwide shortage has turned into a full blown crisis. and it b is hitting those wic moms, the moms below the poverty line, especially hard. a huge part of the wic program is about supplying baby formula to mothers. of all of the baby formula sold in the united states more than half purchased by mothers on wic assistance and because thisth ia federal seprogram, there are restrictions on the exact kinds

the reason is that we have a program called women infant and children ,wic.f of all formula passes through that program that goes to poor families. it is very well-intentioned. you get very large discounts, the government gets, for purchasing formula and then getting it on to poor families. but they do this in a way that says each state does the competitive bidding process with the formula company. and in exchange for those going discounts, they get market exclusivity. so if you go to the state of michigan and california and oregon, there's only one company that if you are a wic buy and get that formula for free. so other competitors of that dominant company, whether it is in the wic program or not, you're not going to put stuff on the shelves of half your customers cannot buy it. so what you end up having is these little anomalies in all 50 states. that is because of the structure of the wic program which gives the sole-source contract in exchange for a discount. juan: while everyone is focused on baby formula, can he talk about abbott labs and what other cr

wic contractors know they get benefits outside the wic program. whether it is shelf placement, companies want to have these contracts because of those benefits as well. and because of wic's sheer size. host: let's hear from stacy in providence. caller: why isn't there more advocacy for moms to be able to make formula on their own? why can't you make the ingredients more easily available so moms can make it on their own. it just makes me so angry. guest: i don't have any expert tastes and making baby formula. when you have a more open market, you have a lot more choice in the types of products that consumers can buy. going back to europe, they have a lot of products made from goat's milk. when you have a market like the u.s. market, there is very little choice. it is just a few companies, a few products and you lack that type of experimentation and innovation in the market. host: mr. lincicome and the insider the house passed a bill to help get more baby formula, a reaction from mitt romney "if i were buying infant formula but it is paying more mon

wic families to purchase.es can find a formula at the store to meet their baby's needs. texas wic is also working with the vendor team to identify, like i said earlier, the specific stores and regions that may need assistance in getting an adequate supply. >> all right, kelly, thank you so much for your time and the work you're doing for all these families that are just simply trying to feed their babies. thank you. >> thank you. >>> so, fast-moving wildfire is sweeping through southern california. families are forced to evacuate. we're going to take you there next. looks like you paid too much for your glasses. ...who? anyone who isn't shopping at america's best - where e two pairs and a free exm start at just $79.95. book an exam today. [bacon sizzles] [bacon sizzles] ♪ [electronic music plays] ♪ [bacon sizzles] ♪ [electronic music plays] ♪ woo! ♪ ♪ i came, i saw, i conquered. (all): hail, caesar! pssst caesar! julius! dude, you should really check in with your team on ringcentral. i was thinking like... oh

the federal nutritional service that helps low-income women, infants and children, known as wic, says the formula in the u.s. is bought by wic families, feeding 1.4 million babies. >> parents are in an incredibly desperate situation. when you don't know how to feed your child, that creates a lot of shame, a lot of guilt. families don't necessarily have the time or resources to go around to five or six different stores. >> reporter: the largest maker, abbott, controls about 40% of infant formula here in the u.s.. the f.d.a. reached an agreement to reopen its largest plant in michigan, but that still leaves a gap on store shelves for at least the next two months. is this something that we should have been paying attention to? >> i think this whole situation really pulled back the curtain on the infant formula manufacturing sector. we have four companies that control 90% of the domestic infant formula supply. >> reporter: and now bad actors are starting to prey on parents, like kimberly williams, who turned to a facebook group for help. >> i just thought that this was a group of moms tha

receiving wic formula benefits. when abbott's products were recalled, caretakers already in vulnerable positions filled the products absent from the shelves the most. mr. calamari, as the primary supplier of infant formula for wic beneficiaries, does your company have obligations to these families? what actions has abbott taken to ensure that its non-recalled products or competitor products are available to these vulnerable families? mr. calamari: we take our wc -- wic very seriously. we are airlifting similac from ireland, the number one product we provide on the uic program. we prioritized that early in our action program and will sustain that in our action plan going forward. in addition, we have paid competitive rebates. in other words, when our product is not available we will pay rebates on other manufacturers' products so families can get access to the nutrition they need. going forward we will send the rebates through august. it is a scenario we will continue to look at as we think about improvement going fo

program be able to use their wic dollars to use whatever formula is on the shelf at their store whenhey get there. there are a lot of restrictions on how people on wic can use their money to purchase formula, and so what we're doing is pushing to cut the red tape so that people have more flexibility to buy what is in stores and so that the manufacturers have more flexible to produce quickly. that's one of the key things the president announced yesterday that he is pushing and that we anticipate the fda will make some additional announcements, excuse me, in the coming days. that's just one piece. there are others including trying to increase importation of additional formula from europe and taking some steps to crack down on price gouging. >> kate, at this point do you, does the white house consider this a crisis? >> well, i don't think it is about a label. i think it is about addressing directly the need that families all across the country have. listen, i'm a mom. i have two young kids. i'm not terribly far removed from the i toddays of feeding ms formula. we know, the president kno

right now there just to suppliers that provide baby food for about 87% of all wic babies.ow bear in mind, paul, about half of all babies born and the united states qualify for wic benefits. this is a huge proportion for the problem with these contracts is when you supply your wic benefits only apply to the bay beat form as only baby formula available to lick people that magnifies her dramatically. >> so when you have these two companies that locked on these contracts and therefore really reduce the competition that can go in and challenge these other makers because they have a much smaller market if they dominate half the market in my reading that correctly? >> yes absolutely. and on top of it remember if you are a wic benefit receiver you can't even buy those alternate products because your benefits don't cover them. paul: alicia of the also unleash the defense production act which of course a president trump done done on a variety of covid supplies. he is doing it now i'm baby formula. will that make any difference? >> no because the issue here is raw ingredients the pre

reporter: as we mentioned, half of the nations infants receive wic benefits.the shortage, recipients could only access one brenda formula depending on the state. i understand some programs have already taken steps to expand those options. what have they done and wha additional effects, if any, will this announcement white house put out yesterday have? bria it is a curious question. why we allow wic families to only have access to e brand of infant formula in the first place. we know there are a number of steps put in place to expand the brands and container sizes available to customers. i think one of the messages coming out of usda consistently through the product recall is we have to take every flexibility possible to make sure the wic consumer is treated like any other member of the shopping public. reporter: many states have already expanded eligibility, they did it shortly after the recall was announced and shortages began to manifest themselves. brian: it has been a holistic effort. usda has been working from day one to enact what flexibilities exist, bu

that provides support for low income families and i believe i read half the babies in america count on wic. finally, the food and drug administration is working to maximize production as well. in particular, they specialized formulas like hypoallergenic for infants with specific health needs. the fda also entered into an agreement with abbott to get the michigan factory back in business. that's the largest infant formula factory in the country. we need to get it reopened safely, quickly as long as the company meets the critical safety standards, we want them in production. but let's be clear, this disastrous situation could have been avoided if the fda wasn't chronically understaffed and underfunded. at the time the factory was shut down, try to guess how many federal employees had the responsibility for the oversight of this life and death industry? the answer, nine. nine people within fda were responsible for the oversight of the formula. nine workers monitoring a $3.5 billion industry that directly impacts millions of american families. they are spread way too thin and here's why that i

it allows parents to purchase more formula through wic which provides low income support for families and i believe i read that half of the babies in america count on wic and finally, in particular the production of specialized formulas, like hyper allergenic formula. and the f.d.a. entered into an agreement with abbott to get its michigan factory back in business. that's the largest infant formula factory in the country. we need to get it reopened safely, quickly, as long as the company meets critical safety standards we want them in production. let's be clear, this disasterous situation could have been averted if the f.d.a. was not chronically understaffed and underfunded. at the time abbott's factory was shut down, try to guess how many federal employees had the responsibility for the oversight of this life and death industry? the answer, nine. nine people within f.d.a. were responsible for the oversight of infant formula. nine workers monitoring a 3.5 billion dollar industry that directly impacts millions of american families. these workers are spread way too thin and here is why

a million babies are in the wic program as we speak.t out back on february 23rd from usda that offered wic agencies the opportunity to have waivers to allow parents to buy from other brands. wic actually restricts the access to a variety of formula types. you have to be confined to what your say it is doing and it is state by state. if that's the concern, and knowing that should be the concern at least in part, why from february to now are we just now getting those corrective measures take snn i get there's a bureaucratic process, but time is of the essence for the nutritional value of the a child. >> to be clear about this, waivers -- the recall occurred i think on february 17th. on february 18th we sent out a letter to 86 wic agencies that basically operate this program and we began to receive those waiver requests and those were processed. so, within a matter of a couple weeks, we had roughly 66 of the 87 wic state agents requesting and being granted waivers. so, those waivers went into effect immediately in early march and have been

wic program. you have to go state by state to get your product approved for each state to use your wic coupons to buy product. our organic formula is not approved by wic. the baby food is. we had to go state by state the allow parents to use their wic dollars to buy organic. ever healthy food. i just think there's so much we can all be doing and this is such a great wake up call but the first thing ever is we have to invest in the health and wellness of our moms and babies if we want a healthy society. this is really an opportunity to look at what we're doing and make sure parents get the support they need. it's already very stressful and challenging to have baby and we all -- all of us want better for our children and our babies. >> there's already so much stress on nursing, breast-feeding, producing. i can't imagine how hard this is for so many people out there right now. all right. thank you. thank you. again, i want to say really quickly say your website again so people can visit it if they ar

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that is actually allowed within the wic program. the wic program buys about 50% of the baby food formula in the kr country, so what we're going to do next week is we're going to bring in emergency suspension bill to the floor to get wic to be able to relax some of those restrictions and be able to get more of the different manufacturers' formula in. the third thing is even though you see those numbers and it's a crisis, i mean, i fed my child, my daughter was really prematurely born, so i only could rely on baby food formula and it was really hard. we were in india at the time, getting the formula is like life and death for a parent. i mean, for a child and for a parent. so i really sympathize with this. part of the challenge is it's not the baby food formula is out of stock everywhere in the country. it's out of stock in particular states. because the shipments aren't being processed across the board evenly. and so it is really important that we fix all of these things. we're going to have a couple hearings on consolidation and mar

is by wic beneficiaries. now, millions of parents will have an easier time finding if baby formula they need. i want to thank senator stabenow she got it through the house. she came up with the idea. and now, we're here to send it to the president's desk. she had a great partner in senator besman who stepped up to the plate as well. so i thank them for championing this legislation. as i mentioned it passed the house with overwhelming support. o the shortage of baby formula that's hurting parents and caregivers of newborns across the country. the president appeared democrats in congress are taking this -- the president and democrats in congress are taking this issue seriously and invoking the d.p.a. was the right response. to the parents and caregivers, we hear you. the senate is taking action. president biden has taken action to increase imports of safe baby formula and to increase production of formula in our country. the house has taken action, and now the senate is. we must keep going because there's more

in half of all format nationwide is purchased at wic for women. lower income are more in need families. and then that herco that we did the emergency. that was under bobby scott and johanna hayes leading that emergency supplemental under the leadership to give the funds to the fda to do what they need to get formula back on the shelves as soon as possible. the president took action yesterday which is very important was to enable the defense production act to be able to deal with the baby formula and to make militaryav planes available to bring formula into the country. he has been veryy clear though who want to be as quick ase possible but we must be safe that we must be cautious for the children. we proceed again to make sure they have the nutrition to grow and reach their fulfillment. another kitchen table issues the price gouging democrats work to protect america's physical security also laser focused on protecting families economic security. while families are struggling to pay high prices at the pump some of it is caused because the pooch and

in the wic space there's only three companies that compete for contracts in the wic space.to question is there really competition here. >> does that mean, really quickly, does that mean you may change that on your end when it comes to wic maybe looking to other partners? >> i think our first step here is to make sure that we can resolve the supply chain challenges and provide relief for parents, but i think there are a lot of lessons to be learned from how this recall was handled, and you know, fda and usda have been working really hard on both ends, i think, to first resolve the supply chain challenge but then to identify what can be done better in the infant formula sector moving forward. >> brian ditmeyer great to have you here this morning. >>> chef mario batali is back in court right now accused of sexual assault in an encounter at a boston restaurant. we'll have the latest on hadad that that trial coming up. a little easier. (moo)) mabel says for you, it's more like 5:15. trial coming up. man: mom, reaeally? ♪ ♪ ihoppy hour starting at $6 at 3pm only from ihop. downlo

the president is moving quickly and we are using all the tools available to us, and obviously this wic we were just talking about and working with the fda to bring in additional forms of formula from europe, and we are cracking down on price gouging and third-party sellers taking advantage of the moment to try to hoard and sell it at a higher rate, and so we are doing everything we can to get it back on the shelves. >> all the things the administration is doing, should they have done it sooner? go back to at least last year, there was an fda inspection in 2021, more between january and march of this year, a big recall february 17th, so this is a crisis that's been building for months. could and should this shortage have been anticipated and frankly stopped before it got this bad. did somebody drop the ball? >> the administration started acting immediately, and there was a recall earlier this year and the administration began to cut red tape to ensure we were doing everything in our power to account for this, and we are seeing some encouraging signs about production, you know. both gerb

the federal nutritional service that helps low-income women, infants and children, known as wic, says formula in the u.s. is bought by wic families, feeding 1.4 million babies. >> parents are in an incredibly desperate situation. when you don't know how to feed your child, that creates a lot of shame, a lot of guilt. families don't necessarily have the time or resources to go around to five or six different stores. >> reporter: the largest maker, abbott, controls about 40% of infant formula here in the u.s.. the f.d.a. reached an agreement to reopen its largest plant in michigan, but that still leaves a gap on store shelves for at least the next two months. is this something that we should have been paying attention to? >> i think this whole situation really pulled back the curtain on the infant formula manufacturing sector. we have four companies that control 90% of the domestic infant formula supply. >> reporter: and now bad actors are starting to prey on parents, like kimberly williams, who turned to a facebook group for help. >> i just thought that this was a group of moms that we

example, that about 50% of the formula used is funneled through the wic program.xibility within wic will ensure us to deal with interruptions in the future in a way that's timely. >> does there need to be more diversity in the market? almost all of the formula we see in the united states comes from four major companies and most of that just one company, abbott. do we need to see more competition here? open up the market to imports more readily? what do you want to see? >> we want to have the at to have a resilient system. when you have too few producers of a product and there's a major reduction, it creates a resiliency issue. we can still have a pretty competitive situation in going forward. and those that are currently in the business potentially expanding. we'll take a look at the way that we do business through the wic program to make sure we have the flebs incumbents in place so we're not faced with this kind of disruption in the future. >> are we going to open up to more imports? a lot of moms prefer what they can get from overseas because the health standar

currently, she says 60% of babies in the state of california are enrolled in wic. it is a very dynamic and fluid situation. and, you know, things can change rapidly. she is hearing stories of caregivers driving to multiple stores looking for supplies, encouraging them to not stockpile, which could make matters worse for asking families to. i'm going to definitely have enough. but you know, not you know, not by just too much of something. that's a recommendation that will work for one thing. we're working with each other with the state to get messaging out to remind people about how to be careful. we want to make sure people aren't making their own formula or diluting front. that's really important. >> to maintain the integrity of the formula, bela says the public health officer for solano county emphasizing the need to protect babies. >> and not take steps that could harm them in this situation. he and other public health departments are encouraging state regulators to expand what is available for quick purchase to ease the crisis. if this problem persist is going

why you have the education and labor piece of labor is to give wic and the usda more power. in fact, secretary vilsack does not deal with moving the pieces around. he has provided flexibility to a beneficiary so they can more easily get access to the product. what we are trying to do is provide him with more authority, and he did that. quite honestly, the first stories that came out, this is before i even knew of a whistleblower's report, i called for an inspector general investigation of a delay from last october until they recall in february by the fda. that will take a while. but in the meantime, the issue and the crisis is now. how do we, in short order, provide them with what they need in terms of the fda, to bring a product back? we will look at other pieces about strengthening authority and holding feet to the fire. we are going to investigate abbott and the trips should fall where they may. people have to be accountable whether at fda or abbott. >> if i just may say, seeing the problem is very important, but understanding it very carefully is, too. some babies need a

. >> reporter: galvi depends on women, infants, children nutrition program or wic, for formula she is supposed to get nine cans for each baby per month with the benefit. but because of the shortage she can't find it. she's been forced to pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket for formula not covered by wic >> switching what you're feeding is not easy how are the babies doing? >> they weren't tolerating it very well at first. actually they had a lot of reflux and they were puking a lot of what they were eating up >> reporter: to fill the gaps, she has driven nearly a hour to mother's milk bank, the largest breast milk donor bank in the country. what's demand like for families that can't get formula? >> they have been calling on a steady basis. formula fed infants and families that can't find formula, that increased percentage is 300% those families are in crisis >> reporter: the lab is working overtime, first screening donors, then their milk is pooled, pasteurized, tested to make sure there's zero bacteria before being distributed to babies in need. texas has been hit particularly hard

the usda to waive rules so wic recipients would be exempt from the maximum monthly allowances in place>> we're giving them the flexibility. we want to make that permanent. >> reporter: lawmakers are launching an investigation into how the fda handled the oversight responsibilities, especially over the abbott plant. >> the chips should fall where they may. people have to be accountable. whether it's fda or whether it's abbott. >> reporter: the abbott plant in michigan was shuttered in february due to bacterial contamination. >> recalls happen, but this company lied, cut corners, falsified records to cover up mis mis misd misdoings. >> reporter: skyler henry, cbs news, white house. >>> targets earnings did not hit the mark in the first quarter with the company seeing a 52% drop in profit. the company is blaming the crash on higher expenses and supply issues. the news sent stock in the company plummeting. the news is fueling fears about inflation. >>> let's take a check of the big board. it's not pretty. the dow is in the red, over 1,000 points right now. not good there. >> big drop. >>>

it's a program known as wic. state wic programs actually went really quickly in expanding access for wic beneficiaries state by state. but that's because they had existing flexibilities because of the covid-19 national health security crisis. judy: right. ali: and so lawmakers today, the senate unanimously passed a bill to make those wic flexibilities permanent. the house passed it earlier this week with nine no-votes. it now heads to the president's desk. of course, the scrutiny of the fda is also going to continue. commissioner califf, as well as executives from three of those four formula companies back on the hi next week. judy, they're going to be testifying before the house energy and commerce committee next wednesday. judy: we're learning so much about this industry, which i think most of us knew very little about. ali: absolutely. judy: ali rogin, thank you very much. ali: thank you. judy: at the united nations security council today, the u.s. accused russia of using food as a weapon in its war against uk

is purchased through wic, but there's still confusion and stores with no supply the white house sharply criticized today by members of its own party. >> i give everybody an "f" on the entire spectrum of this from the company itself to the fda oversight to the inner agencies who didn't talk to each other to the entire problem. nobody focused on this like they needed to. >> people should also know that from the president on down, everyone is laser focused on addressing this issue and pulling every lever possible to do so that's why we're working now to import formula from abroad to get manufacturers to increase production here to get the plant that was actually shut down back online quickly. >> okay. kate, there's breaking news here tonight. the senate wants to investigate the companies whose plant had to shut down, more or less, triggering this crisis. >> that's right. the senate finance committee, lester, the chairman asking the formula manufacturer abbott for information on its tax practices, conditions at that plant before it closed, and $8 billion in stock buybacks the company has au

as npr points out, abbott has the wic monopoly in about 2/3 of all the states.at wic recipients are required to only purchase abbott formula through the program but are unable to. add to that the supply chain issues in a pandemic and, viola, you get the shortage. more needs to be done and perhaps now is not the time for lawmakers to be heading home with their little tummies full while their youngest constituents are very much in need. up next, texas land commissioner, george p. bush, yes, from that bush family, has a plan. you would know it's a lot like the old man, which means millions of dollars diverted to mostly white inland communities instead of the mostly black and brown coastal communities that meade it most. more up next. it's time for our memorial day sale on the sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses your movement and automatically adjusts so you both stay comfortable, and can help you get almost 30 minutes more restful sleep per night. save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed, queen now only $1,999. only for a limited time. >>> ba

absolutely we're talking about the wic program. and if people aren't familiar, the white house says about half of all baby formula in this country is bought using wic benefits. wick is the program for women, infants and children, provides nutrition benefits and helps with the cost of formula in the first year of life. what is happening with your wic recipients in alameda county? well what we're seeing with some families is we're having some trouble finding formula to feed babies. and so we're finding that some families have to travel out of county from far away or they have to use family members to purchase formula for their babies, and so we're really wanting to encourage sharing information, finding resources and supports for families to help with this process until they're able to locate, um formula for their babies is most of that happening online or do people actually come to your office or call you and say, look on, i just can't do it this month. well every week. family receives a debit card, and they can use that to purchase

it would loosen the restrictions on what type of formula families can purchase to the wic program. washington correspondent jessi tenure has those details. good morning. >> this is one of several bills lawmakers are working on to not only address the shortage, but make sure the products are safe. >> let's get that meeting like this. and that into the of babies in response to public outcry over the country's baby formula shortage. house democrats want to move on legislation to quickly and safely restock store shelves to feed your baby. >> and then you're scared. what you feed your baby. it's going to cause connecticut congresswoman rosa delauro introduced a bill tuesday that would give the fda 28 million dollars in emergency funding to ramp up inspections. that baby formula plants around the world. the agency is increasing imports to help ease the shortage. how we get project in and get it on the shelves. and that is what this is about. this legislation follows others that would provide funding to immediately buy supply from other countries and loosen the restrictions on what type o

and as we have heard, people on wic have been heavily impacted. my district, which is heavily working-class, and many parents on wic are really feeling this impact. they are appreciating this hearing and responses and they want to know what happened. dr. califf, we have heard today some of the -- my understanding is that people, leadership, lack of money, lack of technology to name a few. i want to talk about the position of deputy commissioner for foods at the fda. my understanding is that during the obama administration there established a role of deputy commissioner for food at the fda in 2010. and that in 2018 the prior administration that position was effectively eliminated. and dr. califf, you are an unaccomplished audiologist with expertise on drug and medical policy. i'm concerned there is a lack of similarly-accomplished individuals leading the fda on food safety and the food program, which may have also led to this shortage. do you think that we need a deputy commissioner for mood to be reinstated at fda to ensure another infant formula

is purchased through wic. >> how much do you worry about the babies >> that is our biggest worry, our biggest worry is that babies get sick, that babies are not able to tolerate different formulas, that babies are offered one formula one week and another formula another week. >> reporter: the shortage has charitable organizations like baby2baby stepping in to help, distributing formula they have to hospitals, foster care organizations, and shelters >> 2022, we have requests for over 8 million cans of formula so we're not going to meet that >> reporter: baby2baby has direct relationships with smaller formula makers, but say even that is not enough. >> know that it is such a long road ahead, and so i think we're rightfully nervous. >> reporter: an immediate crisis requiring a new, long term solution. jo ling kent, nbc news, los angeles. >>> in 60 seconds, with voting set to begin tomorrow, serious twists shaking up the country's most closely watched primary election is. an increased risk of infections some serious... and the lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor abou

and the ability of wic recipients to purchase different kinds of formula and enabling many people whoe waiting for their states to make that decision, and also that states will have the rebate opportunity, provide the incentive to further provide flexibility that, will also help and of course, imports. so working to not just address, we have been working to address for months, but working to make this ensure that there is greater supply, consistent supply on the shelves as long as possible. what we know and i know from feeding formula to two kids is typically you have one formula you give your kid and so the challenge here is also for parents when they are reliant on one formula and maybe it is, maybe their child has certain needs because they are sensitive to dairy products or other products, and so the other part of this we are trying to address is providing these resources so people have questions about what kind of formula they can take as an alternative, like the ones that will be imported are not necessarily formulas that people know, but maybe ones that are parallel to the form

wic is recommending their families call stores ahead of time and ask what day each store gets restocked jose, stephanie magallon, nbc bay area news. >>> today they were celebrating history and one of the bay area's biggest landmarks. local leaders and construction workers gathering to celebrate the restoration that's under way right now for hangar 1 at moffett field. that's that huge structure. >> so cool. >> right off 101. there it is from our helicopter. but down below, it's a whole different bag of chips. one of the world's largest freestanding buildings. the navy constructed in 1932 to house air ships. several times since then, it's faced demolition. but congresswoman zoe lofgren and anna eshoo have helped lead a charge to save it. >> we saw the opportunity for a national model of a public/private partnership to preserve, to protect, to advance. >> right now the structure is stripped to its american steel skeleton. but by 2025, so we still have a few years, it's going to look much like it did into the 1930s, at least on the outside. however, the inside will be state-of-the-art as na

working with sometimes with wic offices and sometimes just making sure that we all stay connected, and not taking any of the safety shortcuts we mentioned earlier. that's why if i could express how important that is to talk to your trusted pediatrician and the people who help you keep your kids safe, because we don't want anyone out of desperation, very understandable, but if we can avoid the shortcuts, that would be good for all of our patients. >> doctor emily webber, thank you so much. great advice for a lot of families out there. we appreciate it. >> thank you so much. >>> all right. shifting gears. we're now two days away from a major primary in the state of georgia, pitting donald trump's candidate against mike pence's pick. a live report on where this key race stands, next. rs for years. (dad brown) i thought new phones were for new customers. we got iphone 13s, too. swswitcd to verizon two minutes ago. (mom brown) ours were busted and we stilll got a shiny new one. (boy brown) chececk it out! (dad allen) so, wait. everybody gets the same great deal? (mom allen) i think that's t