A bipartisan effort led by U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) seeks the establishment of a bipartisan House Select Committee on the Supply Chain Crisis.
“Americans across the country continue to reel from the impacts of the supply chain crisis, especially the communities that I represent in Southern California. Supply chain bottlenecks are raising prices for workers, families and small businesses and our manufacturers and farms are having difficulties exporting goods overseas,” said Rep. Kim. “Congress must come together in a bipartisan way to address this economic and national security crisis that threatens to undermine U.S. competitiveness abroad.”
Rep. Kim joined U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and a dozen of their colleagues in sending a Dec. 16 letter to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) calling for creation of the Select Committee, which would have equal representation from both sides of the aisle to address the supply chain crisis.
Among the members who joined them in signing the letter were U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), David Valadao (R-CA), and Don Bacon (R-NE).
“At a time when global trade has been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American people deserve answers as to how our supply chains have broken down, what additional steps Congress can take to fix them, and how we can implement reforms that would prevent a similar crisis from occurring in the future,” wrote the representatives.
Rep. Kim and her colleagues pointed out that one of the biggest issues currently is the lack of available chassis for truckers, who then are unable to unload terminals at essential ports, in turn, causing delays in wait times for container ships. Limits on when empty containers can be returned are also an important factor in these delays, according to their letter.
The supply chain challenges don’t end at the nation’s ports, wrote Rep. Kim and the lawmakers, who added that the semiconductor chip shortage, congested rail yards, a record-setting trucker shortage of over 80,000 drivers, and the lack of warehouse workers also are part of the problem.
“Small businesses in our districts have raised the significant challenges they face in stocking inventory at reasonable prices, which has forced them to reduce hiring and raise prices,” the lawmakers wrote. “These stories are all too common nationwide.”
Rep. Kim and her colleagues requested that the House leaders establish a Select Committee on the Supply Chain Crisis to investigate the root causes of the supply chain crisis and its effect on each industry sector; convene meetings and discussion sessions with relevant industry leaders; and draft and submit a report to Congress with the results and recommendations on how to address the current and future supply chain issues, according to their letter.
“Rather than a piecemeal approach from Congress, our country needs to implement a comprehensive approach to resolve our supply chain crisis,” the members wrote.
“I am proud to work with Rep. Sherrill and a bipartisan group of colleagues to call on House leadership to ensure Congress takes immediate steps to bring relief to our nation’s economy,” said Rep. Kim. “I will do all I can to address the resiliency of our supply chain, make life more affordable for my constituents, support policies that spur economic growth, and protect our national security.”