Pete Buttigieg, father of twins, says formula shortage is 'very personal': 'Baby formula is a very big part of our lives'
Pete Buttigieg is speaking out about the infant formula shortage.
Buttigieg, who is the Secretary of Transportation under President Joe Biden, welcomed twins last year with his husband Chasten. In a May 15 interview with CBS News’ Face the Nation, the politician explained how the infant formula crisis is affecting his family, calling the situation “very personal.”
“We've got two 9-month-old children, baby formula is a very big part of our lives,” he explained. “And like millions of Americans, we've been rooting around stores, checking online, getting in touch with relatives in other places where they don't have the same shortages to see what they can send over.”
Fortunately for the Buttigieg family, they have since “figured it out” and were able to secure a supply of formula for their little ones.
The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., is not the only parent of an infant speaking out about the shortage, which is due, in part, to one of the country’s largest formula suppliers, Abbott Nutrition, being shut down by the FDA following safety concerns. Actress Olivia Munn, who last year welcomed her first child with partner John Mulaney, recently shared her concerns over the situation in a Twitter post.
“It’s so crazy when people say ‘if you breastfeed you won’t have to worry about the formula shortage!’ I have low milk supply, so to keep my baby fed I depend on formula,” The Newsroom star tweeted on May 18. “I wish I could breastfeed so I wouldn’t be panicking about the shortage right now. But I don’t have a choice.”
Last year, Buttigieg spoke to MSNBC’s Morning Joe about how parenting is the “most demanding” task he and Chasten, an author and activist, have ever done.
"I used to think of 5 a.m. as early. Now I think of it as nap time if I'm lucky," Buttigieg joked. "And yet, I catch myself grinning half the time. ... We're just over the moon."
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