<[link removed]>
I hope you saw my latest weekly column.

 

ROGER WICKER: Empty Shelves for Christmas Season?
<[link removed]>

 

Although much of life has returned to normal since the pandemic began, the
slow movement of goods through our economy is creating major headaches for
American families. Empty shelves are becoming all too common at stores. Goods
from overseas are being delayed by weeks and even months, contributing to
higher shelf prices. Retailers are telling customers to do their Christmas
shopping now as they expect supplies to run out early. These severe supply
chain disruptions show that we have not yet escaped the economic impacts of the
pandemic.

Government Regulations Make Crisis Worse

The most glaring gap in our transportation supply chain can be seen at our
nation’s ports. As of this writing, there are more than 70 cargo ships waiting
to unload in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, where 40 percent of all
containers entering the U.S. are processed. Backlogs have also hit the ports of
Savannah and New York, with ships waiting for days to unload. This huge influx
of cargo reflects the resurgence in demand for products this year.
Unfortunately, our ports have been worn down by COVID restrictions, layoffs,
and underfunding, all of which is now preventing cargo from being processed in
a timely fashion.

President Biden recently announced that the Port of Los Angeles would be
operating 24/7 to allow cargo to be processed during the night hours. But this
alone will not fix the problem. We face not only a shortage of port workers,
but also a lack of truck drivers to move cargo to warehouses and retailers.
California in particular has a shortage of truckers because of heavy
regulations on emissions. Many truck drivers have also fled the state since the
legislature passed a restrictive 2019 labor law making it harder for
independent contractors to keep their jobs. The result is that California’s
job-killing regulations are now worsening the supply chain crisis for our
entire country.

Biden Administration Falling Short

The Biden Administration does not seem to appreciate the severity of this
crisis. Recently, the President’s chief of staff dismissed rising prices and
supply chain delays as “high class problems.” His spokesperson Jen Psaki also
made light of the delays by sarcastically calling them a “tragedy.” These
comments show the Administration is badly out of touch.

Mr. Biden is now putting forward a nominee to the Federal Maritime Commission,
Max Vekich, who could have a major impact on supply chains. As the lead
Republican on the Commerce Committee, I recently pressed Mr. Vekich on the need
to alleviate shipping backlogs. I hope he will be forthcoming with helpful
ideas as his confirmation vote approaches.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Offers Way Forward

Some supply chain issues will have to be resolved by private companies, but
Congress is also offering important solutions. The bipartisan infrastructure
bill, which has passed the Senate by a vote of 69 to 30, includes
infrastructure funding that would help modernize our ports. It would also lower
the age for truck drivers from 21 to 18, helping to alleviate strains on the
trucking workforce, and would remove regulatory obstacles to enable more
efficient movement of goods. I support this legislation in the Senate because
of the positive investments it would make for highways, waterways, and
airports, as well as broadband.

Unfortunately, Democrats are holding up final passage of this bill until they
pass their massive and reckless tax-and-spending agenda. I hope my Democrat
colleagues will abandon this proposal and instead recognize the urgent need to
pass our bipartisan infrastructure bill. Doing so would help ease the supply
chain crisis and make our economy more resilient in the future.

 

You can click here to share my Op-Ed with your friends on Facebook!
<[link removed]>

 

Thank you for your support,

Senator Roger Wicker

 

 

Donate
<[link removed]>
Please mail contributions to P.O. Box 64, Jackson, MS 39205.


Paid for by Wicker for Senate


You can also keep up with Roger Wicker on Twitter
<[link removed]> or Facebook.
<[link removed]>


Don't want to receive our emails anymore? Unsubscribe
<[link removed]>