DEF

Remember the on-going baby formula shortage? You know, the one that only "recently" came to the attention of the Biden administration, even though clear signs of an impending shortage were well known in late 2021. That shortage has been very bad for many young families with infants. But it's nothing compared to another impending shortage—this one poised to affect everyone and just about everything. The problem is that you can't begin hoarding now, because this shortage doesn't involve a consumer product—it involves something called DEF.

And what exactly is DEF? It's Diesel Exhaust Fluid, which is 31% percent Urea, a derivative of natural gas—you know, that hated fossil fuel whose production the Biden administration has worked so, so hard to cripple. All in the name of saving the planet, of course.

If a large diesel fueled truck doesn't have DEF, it will not run. The implication is catastrophic. If trucks stop running, 70-plus percent of the nation's goods—food, electronics, building materials, medicines, clothing, just about everything—never get to consumers. The result will be chaos that make previous shortages of everything from baby formula to toilet paper look mild by comparison.

The story of the impending DEF shortage is complex. There are international players, the war in Ukraine, and major Democratic political operators involved. But at its core, there is the concerted effort by the Biden administration to discourage domestic natural gas production, which makes us rely on Russia (now embargoed) and China (not our best international friend) for urea. Recall that urea is absolutely essential for DEF production.

Biden and his Team of 1s (background here) should be working right now to take steps to mitigate the DEF shortage before it becomes a real problem. They have done nothing to date.

The mainsteam media should be on the administration's case NOW so that they can't hide behind the claim that they didn't know about it. The media is largely silent.

And the democratic operatives who are directly involved in this story (Tom Donilon of the Union Pacific Railroad and his family) should be called out, so that they begin work to mitigate the problems before any shutdown of trucking occurs. No nasty profiles by the New York Times or Sixty Minutes.

We have enough time to correct this before it becomes a serious problem, but only if competent leaders take action now. Problem is, the Biden administration and the majority party in both the House and the Senate have demonstrated repeatedly that competence is not their strong suit.