MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The nationwide shortage of baby formula is at a crisis level and Tennessee is one of the hardest hit states.
Naturally, whenever there's a crisis, you can also bet there will also be partisan political jabs. That's what we got from Tennessee's 8th District Congressman David Kustoff of Germantown.
The three-term Republican congressman took to Twitter last week to lay blame for the baby formula shortage squarely at the feet of President Joe Biden.
Kustoff correctly called the shortage a real crisis for parents trying to feed their children, but then he said it happened solely due to Biden's policies. Really?
Here are a few facts based on credible reporting from Bloomberg and FactCheck.org:
- The formula shortage was caused by three events that converged simultaneously like a perfect storm.
- A bacteria that sickened some babies and led a major manufacturer to stop production, supply chain problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and government policies, many of which were in place long before Biden was elected.
- The stockpiling of formula also helped lead to shortages.
Whether the Biden administration should be doing more to alleviate the shortage is a limited debate. Let's face it, Democrats are also known to unfairly criticize Republican presidents.
Still, Kustoff's tweet just goes to show that no crisis is off limits for a political cheap shot.