Before busy holiday season, Biden lays out new efforts to ease supply chain congestion
WASHINGTON – One of the nation’s busiest ports for imported goods will get relief in the next month or so under funding flexibility the Biden administration announced Tuesday along with other new efforts to ease congestion in the supply chain.
Retailers have been warning about inventory shortages for the upcoming holiday season.
Most immediately, the Georgia Port Authority will be able to reallocate more than $8 million in previous funding to create pop-up container yards in Georgia and North Carolina.
That will free up more docks space at the Port of Savannah, the No. 3 container import port in the country and the top port for containerized agricultural products.
The administration estimated the pop-up sites will be operational in 30-40 days.
Supply-chain disruptions – caused by a variety of factors including backups at ports and warehouses, a shortage of truckers, factories have to close because of the coronavirus pandemic and a lack of shipping containers – have resulted in shortages and higher prices for consumers.
They’re also a drag on the economy and are causing political problems for the administration.
Supply chain issues: What are they and how will shortages impact the holiday shopping season?
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit the Port of Baltimore where he is expected to promote the measures included in a recently passed infrastructure bill to modernize the supply chain along with many other aspects of the nation’s infrastructure.
The $1.2 trillion package includes $17 billion for costal ports, inland ports and waterways, and land ports of entry along the border.
Although Biden hasn’t yet signed the bill into law, administration officials said they've started preparing to get the dollars out the door over the next few months.
Billions of dollars are available for:
Modernizing ports and marine highways.
Repairing outdated infrastructure at costal ports and inland waterways and deepening harbors for larger cargo ships.
Upgrading obsolete inspection facilities at key ports to allow more efficient international trade through the northern and southern borders.
“It’s going to strengthen our supply chain by improving our ports, our airports, and our freight rail,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Monday.
Ports support about one quarter of the nation’s economy, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. The group has warned that ports face extensive challenges modernizing infrastructure and maintaining essential facilities.
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Maureen Groppe has covered Washington for nearly three decades and is now a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. Follow her on Twitter @mgroppe.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden lays out new efforts to ease holiday supply chain issues