At a February press conference, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Pete Buttigieg stated on Sunday that the US must address COVID to resolve supply chain problems.
The pandemic is looming over rising inflation and supply bottlenecks ahead of high-demand holiday seasons.
Buttigieg stated that shippers and retailers operate in an "outdated” supply chain infrastructure.
Although both the federal government as well as private companies tried to solve the supply chain crisis, inflation and bottlenecks aren't going away according to the Biden Administration, at least while COVID-19 remains.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that the current supply chain crisis is a result of many factors linked directly to the ongoing pandemic. Buttigieg spoke on Sunday morning's circuit of morning shows and praised the Biden Administration's budget reconciliation bill for combating inflation and supply chain stressors, as it fights COVID-19.
The US continues to manage rising inflation. According to the Biden Administration, it has taken longer than expected. The G-20 summit in Rome saw leaders overturn Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs. They hope to normalize the cost increases that tariffs have caused in the past years.
Buttigieg stated that there are many things still happening in our economy, including disruptions, distortions, and things in our supply chains that are affecting prices. This is clearly a direct result of the pandemic. "Putting the pandemic behind you is the best thing that we can do for your economy in the short-term, and to address these temporary issues.
Buttigieg identified three major factors that compound supply chains: "Off-the-chart” demand, limited supply and the COVID pandemic. This is "poking holes into supply no matter what company or administration it is."
We will continue to face challenges. While the steps taken are making a difference in some ways, think about all that must be done to get products to shelves on time. Buttigieg spoke to CNN's Dana White. It's fundamentally up to the producers, shippers, and retailers to move the goods over the often-decrepit infrastructure.
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Wallace interviewed Buttigieg about his praises for the "phenomenal" work of port workers and officials in fighting supply chain disruptions. However, Buttigieg warned that the west coast of the United States could still feel the effects of delays this fall. He referred to the closure at a Chinese port this summer.
Many major retailers and manufacturers have worried about supply chain issues, particularly as the holiday season approaches. Many factors have made it difficult for port and freight companies to adapt their logistics operations to accommodate labor shortages, transport delays, diminished warehouse capacity, and port congestions.
Although President Biden had earlier announced that the Ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles would transition to a 24/7 schedule to alleviate supply chain constraints before the holiday season, ports continue to experience an increase in containers in wait and unutilized trucker appointments.
Business Insider has the original article.
