The supply chain crisis continues to have a negative impact on America’s agriculture exporters and the Biden administration must step in to help, according to U.S. Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) and dozens of his colleagues.
“The Biden administration must take immediate action to address the disturbances in the supply chain to ensure our farmers in the Central Valley can continue to feed the world,” Rep. Valadao said on Monday.
“Transportation restrictions, limited availability of containers and chassis, and discriminatory ocean container carrier practices are significantly contributing to the challenges our agriculture exporters are facing,” he added. “It is critical the administration prioritizes resolving these urgent concerns.”
Rep. Valadao — who earlier this month visited the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., where he witnessed the ongoing supply chain disruptions — helped lead a bipartisan group of 75 congressional members, including U.S. Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Jim Costa (D-CA), in sending a Jan. 24 letter to President Joe Biden seeking solutions.
The congressmen requested that Biden utilize available emergency authorities to temporarily incentivize the outbound shipment of full containers; take any emergency actions that allow gross vehicle weight limits to exceed 80,000 pounds, even if only on a temporary basis; and use any available tools or authorities to provide immediate access to critical shipping and logistics equipment.
Rep. Valadao and his colleagues also asked the president to examine additional near-term steps the administration might take to drive relief for America’s agricultural exporters, according to their letter.
“This supply chain crisis is already having disastrous consequences for the U.S. agriculture industry, and any delay in addressing key areas of congestion will only exacerbate the long-term ramifications,” wrote the members. “It is critical to act quickly to address these issues.”
Rep. Valadao is also one of 96 cosponsors of the bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021, H.R. 4996, introduced last August by U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) to restrict discriminatory ocean carrier practices and promote mutually beneficial shipping exchanges at U.S. ports. The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 8, 2021 voted 364-60 to approve the measure, which is now under consideration in the U.S. Senate.