Fmr. Obama Econ. Adviser Furman: ‘Many’ Policy Failures in Formula Shortage Were at FDA, They’re Not Doing ‘a Lot More’ They Could

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Don Lemon Tonight,” Jason Furman, who served as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Barack Obama and on the Council of Economic Advisers and the National Economic Council under President Bill Clinton and is currently a Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy at Harvard University and the Harvard Kennedy School, said that in the formula shortage, “There are so many different failures of government policy, many of them at the FDA.” And that “The problem is the FDA. There’s a lot more they could do that they’re still not doing.”

Furman stated, “There are so many different failures of government policy, many of them at the FDA. They layer it on top of a long set of policies.”

He added, “We’re going to see that plant that the FDA ordered off-line coming back online in the next week or two. We are seeing these shipments from overseas. The administration has invoked the Defense Production Act to make sure that some of the key ingredients are being prioritized for baby formula over everything else. None of this though, none of these steps will work instantly.”

Furman further said, “I certainly think there could have been some earlier action here, but we’re seeing some very decisive action now, as much as the president can do. The problem is the FDA. There’s a lot more they could do that they’re still not doing.”

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