New White House supply chain council to address U.S. logistics

On Monday, President Joe Biden held the first meeting of his supply chain resilience council. Biden announced nearly 30 new actions to strengthen supply chains affecting the U.S. economy. Those actions include improving access to medicine and economic data, as well as other programs related to the production and shipment of goods. Biden said a bipartisan infrastructure law had $17 billion to modernize U.S. waterways and ports. The Department of Transportation planned to announce an additional $200 million in grants to U.S. ports on Tuesday.

Why is it needed? According to the White House, the actions will help Americans “get products they need when they need them” by enabling reliable business deliveries. Supply chain problems fueled higher inflation during the pandemic recovery in 2021, so the Commerce Department has developed new ways to evaluate supply chain risks. Meanwhile, House Republicans on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have questioned how the Biden administration is implementing the infrastructure law.

Dig deeper: Read Todd Vician’s report in WORLD Magazine on another recent Biden administration measure that would keep medical debts off Americans’ credit reports.