White House Communications Director Refuses to Call Baby Formula Shortage a Crisis Multiple Times on CNN

White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield refused multiple times to refer to the current baby formula shortage across the U.S. as a “crisis” during a Friday interview with CNN.

Appearing on At This Hour, host Kate Bolduan pushed Bedingfield on the White House’s seeming “hesitation” to refer to the shortage as a crisis.

“Kate, at this point, do you, does the White House consider this a crisis?” Bolduan asked.

Bedingfield acknowledged the issue the families around the country are facing, but dismissed the word “crisis” as simply a “label.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s about a label. I think it is about addressing directly the need that families all across the country have,” she said. “Listen, I’m a mom. I have two young kids. I’m not terribly far removed from the days of feeding my kids with formula. I know, and we know, and the president knows how stressful this is for families across the country. It’s why he’s taken action.”

The “action” President Joe Biden has taken, according to the White House spokesperson, is directly talking with manufacturers of formula, as well as working to lift restrictions on formula purchases made through the WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) assistance program. Bedingfield says approximately half of formula purchasers use the WIC program.

Asked if there is a “hesitation” to refer to the supply chain issue as a crisis, Bedingfield again dodged the question and touted the administration’s actions so far.

“I can tell you there is no hesitation against acting, which is what the president is doing, and it is what this administration is doing,” she said.

Bedingfield was later pressed on giving a timeline for when the White House thinks their “actions” will actually take effect, a question she again dodged multiple times admitting she can’t give Americans any “hard timeline.”

“We are working to do it as quickly as possible … I’m not going to stand here and tell your audience that I can give you a hard timeline that I can’t give you,” Bedingfield said. “We are being candid about moving as quickly as possible and we are relentlessly focused on this.”