乔·拜登总统援引国防生产法案来解决普遍短缺周三晚上，白宫宣布了婴儿配方奶粉。

政府表示，此举将为制造商提供原料，帮助加快生产。

白宫在一份声明中说，“总统要求供应商在任何其他可能订购该商品的客户之前，将所需资源导向婴儿配方奶粉制造商。”“指导企业优先考虑和分配关键婴儿配方奶粉投入的生产，将有助于提高产量和加快供应链。”

白宫表示，总统还指示国防部商用飞机在海外装载婴儿配方奶粉，以便在美国制造商增加生产的同时，更快地进入美国货架。

正在进行的婴儿配方奶粉危机引发了父母和立法者的公开抗议，以及调查众议院监督委员会。

拜登称配方奶粉短缺是他的“首要任务”之一。

“我知道全国各地的父母都在担心找不到足够的婴儿配方奶粉来喂养他们的孩子，”总统在一份声明中说视频地址宣布政府的最新举措。"作为父母和祖父母，我知道这有多大的压力."

冠状病毒相关的供应链问题加剧了短缺，美国最大的婴儿配方奶粉制造商之一雅培营养公司的召回加剧了短缺。在四名婴儿患病后，出于对细菌污染的担忧，该公司于2月份关闭了位于密歇根州斯特吉斯的制造工厂。

雅培坚持认为，仍然没有确凿的证据表明其配方奶粉与这四种婴儿疾病有关，其中包括两例死亡。

周一，食品药品监督管理局表示，它已经同意雅培重新开放斯特吉斯工厂的计划。雅培表示，它可以在两周内重新开始运营，而产品重新上架需要六到八周的时间。

美国食品和药物管理局周一还宣布，将放宽对外国制造的婴儿配方奶粉的进口限制。根据FDA的数据，美国通常生产其消费的98%的婴儿配方奶粉。

拜登政府表示，将把重点放在运输符合FDA安全标准的海外婴儿配方奶粉上。

安德鲁·哈尔尼克/美联社

乔·拜登总统在准备应对飓风的简报会上聆听..

目前还不清楚消费者多久会看到商店货架受到影响。FDA食品安全和应用营养中心主任苏珊·梅恩(Susan Mayne)周一表示，进口产品进入市场可能需要数周时间。

白宫周三表示，正在努力“尽快”向商店提供更多配方奶粉。

周三晚些时候，众议院以414票对9票跨两党投票通过了一项措施，以使妇女、婴儿和儿童联邦营养计划的受益者在持续的全国短缺中更容易利用他们的福利购买婴儿配方奶粉。

它还将允许接受者在未来公共卫生突发事件或农业部确定的供应链中断时，使用他们的福利购买更广泛的配方奶粉。

该商会还批准了第二项措施，主要是按照党派路线，为食品药品监督管理局增加2800万美元的资金，以帮助该机构更好地管理和监督婴儿配方奶粉行业。

投票结果是231票对192票，十几名共和党人和民主党人投票赞成。

Biden invokes Defense Production Act to address baby formula shortage

President Joe Biden is invoking the Defense Production Act to address thewidespread shortageof baby formula, the White House announced Wednesday evening.

The move will get ingredients to manufacturers to help speed up production, the administration said.

"The President is requiring suppliers to direct needed resources to infant formula manufacturers before any other customer who may have ordered that good," the White House said in a statement. "Directing firms to prioritize and allocate the production of key infant formula inputs will help increase production and speed up in supply chains."

The president has also directed Department of Defense commercial aircraft to pick up infant formula overseas to get on U.S. shelves faster while U.S. manufacturers ramp up production, the White House said.

The ongoing baby formula crisis has triggered a public outcry from parents and lawmakers, as well as aninvestigationby the House Oversight Committee.

Biden called the formula shortage one of his "top priorities."

"I know parents all across the country are worried about finding enough infant formula to feed their babies," the president said in avideo addressannouncing the administration's latest steps. "As a parent and as a grandparent, I know just how stressful that is."

Coronavirus-related supply chain issues helped fuel the shortage, which was worsened by a recall from Abbott Nutrition, one of the nation's largest manufacturers of baby formula products. The company closed its manufacturing plant in Sturgis, Michigan, in February over concerns about bacterial contamination after four infants fell ill.

Abbott maintains there is still no conclusive evidence linking its formula to the four infant illnesses, which included two deaths.

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration said it has agreed with Abbott on a plan to reopen its Sturgis plant. Abbott said it could restart operations there within two weeks, and that it would take six to eight weeks before the product is back on shelves.

The FDA also announced on Monday that it is easing import restrictions on foreign-made infant formula. The U.S. normally produces 98% of the infant formula it consumes, according to the FDA.

The Biden administration said it will focus on transporting overseas infant formula that has met FDA safety standards.

It is unclear how soon customers will see an impact on store shelves. Susan Mayne, director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said Monday that it could take weeks to get imported product into the market.

The White House said Wednesday it was working to get more formula to stores "as soon as possible."

Later Wednesday, the House voted 414-9 across bipartisan lines on a measure to make it easier for recipients of the Women, Infants and Children federal nutrition program to use their benefits to purchase infant formula amid the ongoing national shortage.

It would also allow recipients to use their benefits to purchase an expanded range of formulas in future public health emergencies or supply chain disruptions identified by the Department of Agriculture.

The chamber also approved a second measure, largely along party lines, to boost funding for the Food and Drug Administration by $28 million to help the agency better regulate and oversee the infant formula industry.

The vote was 231-192, with a dozen Republicans voting with Democrats on approval.