Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned that the devastating global supply chain troubles that continue to be a drag on the economy and threaten gift giving during the holiday season could continue as long as the coronavirus pandemic.
“There are definitely going to continue to be issues, especially as long as the pandemic continues, right? If you have, for example, the third largest container port in the world in China shutting down because of a COVID outbreak in late summer, you’ll feel that in the fall here on the West Coast,” Buttigieg told host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.”
He said Americans are buying more goods but the supply chain is not keeping up the pace and suggested that President Biden’s trillion dollar bipartisan infrastructure plan and social spending package could help to beat back inflation and fix the supply chain woes.
“For the long term, the best thing we can do about that is invest in our infrastructure. For the very short time, there are steps we can take in and around the ports that we think are helping,” Buttigieg told Wallace.
“And in the medium-term, again, at risk of repeating myself, if we really want to see all of these disruptions end, we’ve got to end the pandemic. That’s what getting everybody vaccinated is all about,” Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., said.
Wallace pointed out that since Biden announced that the Port of Los Angeles was going to operate 24/7, the number of cargo ships waiting offshore has increased from 56 to 77, and at the Port of Long Beach 2,000 appointments for truckers went largely unused.
“Now, we’re taking the actions that we know that we can as an honest broker in the administration, phenomenal work by our ports envoy, working with different players to get the gates of the ports open longer, to work with the truckers, the rail players, we’re seeing expanded hours — all of that’s good,” Buttigieg said.
“But let’s remember, we are talking about global imbalances between demand, which is off the charts right now, and supply, which is racing to keep up,” he continued.
Wallace asked Buttigieg, who was a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, whether House Democrats would pass either of Biden’s bills this week, as some expect a Tuesday vote.
“What I know is we’re the closest that we’ve ever been and it looks like we’re teed up for major action soon. And the president is sounding that note of urgency not just because the president needs it, but because the country needs it,” the transportation secretary said.
“You look at the need for action on the climate before it’s too late. You look at the need to support our economy for the long run, to make our economy more competitive, to deal with issues like inflation which will benefit — we’ll have better tools for fighting inflation if we pass this economic package,” he added.
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $1.75 trillion social spending bill are in jeopardy of failing as progressive Democrats in the House squabble with Democrat moderates in the Senate, namely Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
Progressives, led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), believe both pieces of legislation are a package deal, and refuse to vote on the infrastructure bill until the Senate passes Biden’s massive spending plan.
The Senate has already passed the infrastructure bill.
