Biden announces expanded port hours to address global supply chain bottlenecks
WASHINGTON, D.C. – OCTOBER 13: Joe Biden speaks about supply chain bottlenecks in the East Room the White House October 13, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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UPDATED 6:26 PM PT – Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Joe Biden said the Port of Los Angeles would open 24/7 to help fix supply chain issues. Speaking from the White House on Wednesday, Biden said industry leaders like Walmart, UPS and FedEx also agreed to expanded hours in order to address supply chain bottlenecks ahead of the Christmas season.
Biden said he hopes these changes will clear cargo off the docks and move cargo ships to and from their destinations faster. He also used the crisis to push his infrastructure plan, saying it’s important to focus on the future and not just current issues like COVID-19 and staffing shortages.
“In order to be globally competitive, we need to improve our capacity to make things here in America, while also moving finished products across the country and around the world,” stressed Biden. “We need to think big and bold.”
Critics slammed Biden for again not taking questions after his speech and calling his Port Envoy by the wrong name twice while praising his work.
U.S. President Joe Biden launched an effort to ease supply chain blockages that are threatening to disrupt the U.S. holiday season, relying on expanded round-the-clock port and shipping operations https://t.co/xTKRKrQwSj pic.twitter.com/MWDmXxWfUl
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 13, 2021
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has failed in taking responsibility for supply chain disruptions amid expectations of goods shortages during the Christmas shopping season.
On Wednesday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the White House was working to reduce delivery delays and supply bottlenecks. This despite some 60 cargo ships still anchored off the port of Los Angeles, forcing the offloading process to resort to a standstill.
“We cannot guarantee. What we can do is use every lever at the federal government disposal to reduce delays to ensure that we are addressing bottlenecks in the system, including ports and the need for them to be open longer hours so that goods can arrive and we can continue to press not only workers and unions, but also companies,” said Psaki.
Economists said supply bottlenecks are likely to persist for at least six months and it could last until early 2023.
.@edokeefe asks, can the White House guarantee holiday packages will arrive on time despite supply chain challenges?
Psaki: “We are not the Postal Service or UPS or FedEx. We cannot guarantee. What we do is use every lever at the federal government’s disposal to reduce delays” pic.twitter.com/4omVChOoz3
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 13, 2021
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