President Biden has invoked the Defense Production Act in order to address the nationwide baby formula shortage, in hopes that the Korean War-era law will boost the domestic manufacturing of formula. Biden’s decision to invoke the DPA underscores the severity of the shortage, which has left store shelves bare and many parents desperate to feed their infants.

President Joe Biden: “The Defense Production Act gives the government the ability to require suppliers to direct needed resources to infant formula manufacturers before any other customer who may have ordered that good. And I’m also announcing Operation Fly Formula. That’s to be able to speed up the import of infant formula and start getting more formula in stores as soon as possible.”

Click here to see our interview with David Dayen on monopolies. On Wednesday, the House passed a $28 million emergency funding bill for the Food and Drug Administration in order to address the formula crisis.