US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned Sunday that current supply problems will persist “next year,” and demanded a long-term solution.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to the global supply chain, causing delays in the US and driving up prices.
The problem is worrying as Christmas approaches, with some experts predicting a massive holiday shortage.
“A lot of the problems we have this year will continue into next year,” Buttigieg told CNN Sunday morning.
According to him, the situation is especially associated with a sharp increase in demand, at a time when the economy is returning to openness in the country.
“The problem is that even though our ports are handling more (goods) than ever before, record amounts of goods are arriving, and our supply chain can’t keep up,” he explained.
Dozens of ships have docked outside the major ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on the West Coast, waiting to unload their cargo.
The US minister indicated that “these two ports represent 40% of our container traffic,” stressing the measures taken to address this congestion. They now work 24 hours a day. It’s not easy to do overnight, but it was a solid commitment. ”
“We need to address the long-term issues that have left us vulnerable to these kinds of bottlenecks,” he pleaded. “That’s why we must pass the infrastructure plan” to President Joe Biden.
This massive bill enjoys relative unanimity in Congress, but the Democratic left refuses to examine it before securing a massive social spending plan, which is widely debated.
These supply problems were a major topic at this week’s meeting of the finance ministers of industrialized nations in Washington.
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