Before a White House task force conference on Dec. 22, President Biden declared his government’s efforts to reduce supply chain backlogs were successful.
What Did Biden Do to Fix It?
Biden met with members of his Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, which included top officials and CEOs of major private corporations. The task force was formed in June to tackle the worldwide supply and inflation crisis caused by the outbreak.
The task team made “great progress to ease bottlenecks inherent in the worldwide pandemic,” according to the White House; shipping container wait times have also been cut in half.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo were amongst those in attendance. CEO of FedEx Fred Smith, Gap head Sonia Syngal, as well as American Board of Port Authorities boss Christopher Connor were present too.
“The much-anticipated crisis did not materialize,” Biden stated. “Packages are being moved, gifts are being distributed, and shelves aren’t being left bare.”
He said supermarket and drugstore stocks were filled to 90% capacity, up from 91 percent before the outbreak and supplies were being made at a faster rate.
After advocating for around-the-clock port services and new transportation restrictions at several of the nation’s largest ports, including the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Biden emphasized the government’s success.
This is what the White House has been busy working on instead of resolving the supply chain crisis. pic.twitter.com/7DmyJ01d86
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) December 24, 2021
The president stated he discussed the supply chain backlog with the CEOs of Wal-Mart, Target, UPS, and FedEx. Cargo ships and their cargo are currently waiting offshore at two California harbors, according to Biden’s account.
The two seaports manage around 40% of the country’s imports, handling more than 765,000 container loads in November and much more than 9.3 million so far in 2021, a 15% rise over the previous high of 2018.
Since the formation of the presidency task group, hundreds of laden import containers have been evacuated from the ports, while about 90 container ships remain afloat, waiting to unload.
FedEx chairman Smith said at the conference while supply chain difficulties are “not entirely handled,” most of Santa Claus’ presents will be distributed to the consumers.
“We think the high season is going to be the best one,” Smith said, adding that inflation pressures should reduce, if manpower shortages in logistics and transportation are filled.
Blame It All on COVID
The pandemic is to blame for the supply chain issues, which have resulted in high commodity prices, as well as the shortages of energy, labor, and vital parts.
Biden claimed inflation wasn’t a problem for months.
Today he claimed the supply chain crisis did “not occur.”
It’s no wonder Americans don’t trust him – he’s not living in reality!
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) December 22, 2021
According to reports, new environmental restrictions in California have exacerbated the transportation sluggishness, as the logistics business adjusts to the new rules.
The combination of a rising economy and a booming consumer market resulted in a rise in demand that caught many global suppliers off guard. This is only the beginning of the supply chain problems.
