Background Press Call on Global Transportation Supply Chain Bottlenecks – The White House
By way of Teleconference
(October 12, 2021)
6:33 P.M. EDT
MS. SIMONS: Good night, everyphysique. Thanks for becoming a member of us for this embargoed againground briefing.
On this name, senior administration officers will current An abstract of the collective efforts To deal with worldwide transportation current chain bottlenecks. We’ll take questions On The prime.
Wright hereas this name is on againground, simply In your consciousness, the audio system on The choice Tonight are [senior administration official] and [senior administration official].
As a reminder, this briefing is on againground, attributSuccesful of “senior administration officers,” And that It is embargoed till 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Furtherextra, You will acquire an embargoed actualitysheet outlining the actions Which have been converseed about on this name. With that, I’ll now flip it over to [senior administration official].
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Good night, everyphysique. Thanks for becoming a member of us.
I’m going To start out by talking Barely bit Regarding the financial system And Sort of setting the stage for this dialog about current chains.
Initially, I really feel it’s important To acknowledge that we’re seeing A very strong restoration As a Outcome of of Prefacetnt’s Rescue Plan that assisted exhaustingworking American households and companies, and the meaconstructives on COVID That are making people really feel safer about going again to work and going buying.
We’ve created 600,000 jobs Per thirty days all via this administration. The unemployment price is down. Progress is outpacing prior forecasts. Wages are furtherly up. All of That is Good information.
However, Really, Inside the restoration from the pandemic, tright here have been A lot of matches and starts, notably round our current chains. We’ve seen Pretty A pair of disruptions that We face right now.
The primary level to make about this is that this Is primarily being pushed Tons by enhanced demand. And via the pandemic, Really, people shifted their expfinishitures from providers to extra sturdy items, As a Outcome of they repaired houses and purchased A lot of leisure and leiconstructive actions as properly.
And In consequence, what we’ve seen Is An monumental demand for items via our current chain transportation system. A lot of this was due to pushing purchases extra on-line, which has hugeger implications, Really, for importing and for warehousing and completely different actualityors alongside our current chain, and this has put A lot of strain throughout the system.
If We look simply On the U.S. ports Which have — throughout the nation — we’re seeing a doc inbound viaput this yr — up about 18 %. And particularally, Inside the ports Of L. a. and Prolonged Bevery, which recurrent 40 % of all containers that enter into the nation, we’ve seen a doc 30 % enhance on import and export containers Inside the first six months of this yr, As in contrast with final yr. And in Prolonged Bevery, a 23 % enhance.
We’ve furtherly seen this throughout our rails and trucking methods as properly. So, An limitless quantity of enhanced viaput in our currents chain, which has put, Really, apparent strains on the system.
However This is not Solely A narrative of home demand; it’s furtherly acquired A worldwide dimension. And This Is usually A worldwide problem — a as quickly as-in-a-century pandemic that has disrupted ports and logistics methods Across the globe.
All of us know key ports abstreet have shut down for weeks due to COVID, As properly as to actualityories producing items for the U.S.
And, Really, this has been — An factor of the administration’s objective is To exactly Try and assist mitigate the influences of COVID worldwidely. And we’ve proceedd our vaccine advertising campaign not simply On this nation, but Across the globe. And if We will stabilize the pandemic, we Know it’s going to have a constructive influence on worldwide current chains and revenue The worldwide financial system As properly as to this financial system.
The U.S. has donated Greater than 40 million COVID-19 vaccine doses throughout Southeast Asia, wright here We now have seen A lot of the outbreak When it Includes COVID and disruptions each in ports As properly as to in manuactualityuring. And we’re furtherly taking A lot of actions to bolster vaccine manufacturing at house and The world over, collectively with via tech change Inside the Southeast Asia.
Lastly, the U.S. has immunized 54,000 worldwide delivery staff Who’ve been working tirelessly, as we know, for months, typinamey yrs, on these — on the ships. And this has exactly assisted The worldwide delivery enterprise proceed to opeprice Through these difficult events.
However, Really, odd people and companies are really feeling The outcomes Of these delays and bottlenecks. It makes it difficult to get merchandise on the cabinets and for items to be delivered to their doorstep.
Importantly, I really feel it — We ought to alstpricegies set the physique for this dialogue, mightbe starting on day one with this administration By which resilient current chains have been The primary precedence.
In February, as Lots of You understand, the Prefacetnt problemd an authorities order for enterprisees throughout the federal authorities to consider weaknesses in current chains in esdespatchedial merchandise and industries.
In June, he subsequently created the White Home Supply Chains Process Pressure — led by Secretaries Howevertigieg, Rpurposeondo, and Vilsack — To deal with bottlenecks and disruptions throughout these esdespatchedial merchandise and industries. And, Really, Secretary Howevertigieg has been main The obligation force, focused notably on transportation and logistics.
As properly as, the Prefacetnt furtherly problemd an EO on rivals and referred to as for strengthening the Federal Maritime Fee and making sure — To Enconstructive thOn tright here’s truthful and aggressive practices Inside the delivery enterprise.
And finally, in August, the Prefacetnt launched — mightbe not arguably — but arguably In all probability the most licensed particular person On this nation To assist us face these problems And convey his expertise to The factors at hand, and apleveled John Porcari as our Port Envoy.
So, at this level, let me hand over to [senior administration official] To debate current work and the steps We’re taking going forward.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, [senior administration official]. Respect it.
As [senior administration official] converseed about, Inside the months As a Outcome of The start of The obligation force, we’ve been exhausting at work figuring out factors and options to these factors to acceleprice the movement Of merchandise.
Secretary Howevertigieg and the DOT staff held convenings with the ports, the trucking enterprise, labor, retailers — all parts of The current chain.
We assisted supplier an settlement for the Ports of Los Angeles and Prolonged Bevery, which, collectively, deal with 40 % of the container visitors that enters our nation to increase hours of operation.
And since then, we’ve seen a current announcement from the Port of Los Angeles in a lot briefer dproperly events. That’s the time that containers spfinish not shifting.
We’re serving to To deal with the truck driver briefage by assisting state DMVs As a Outcome of they reflip to And even exceed what have been their pre-pandemic enterprise driver’s license issuance prices. In 2021, A imply Of fifty,000 enterprise driver’s licenses and learner’s permits have been problemd every month — 60 % higher than the 2020 numbers.
And tomorrow, we’ll be saying important information that’ll assist us To start out exactly tackle againlogs at The l. a. and Prolonged Bevery ports.
The Port of Los Angeles is saying 24/7 service. We have the CEO-diploma enterprise dedications to again that up. And these dedications are esdespatchedial. The current chain Is truly Inside the palms of the particular personal sector, so We’d Just like the particular personal sector to As a lot as assist clear up these factors.
Tomorrow, three of The Most very important items carriers Inside the nation — Walmart, FedEx, and UPS — will make dedications in the direction of shifting to 24/7, working all via off-peak hours.
Just UPS and FedEx alone, mixed, shipped 40 % Of yank packages by quantity in 2020. By taking these steps, they’re saying to The Reprimaryder of The current chain, “You should transfer, too. Let’s step it up.”
Their efforts and the efforts of completely differents — Goal, Samsung, And refacetntial Depot, amongst completely differents — will assist us To start out tackle the — start tackleing the againlog. They typinamey pave The biggest method for smaller retailers to furtherly get their items from a 24/7 mannequin.
Importantly, labor will meet the calls for of the 24/7 schedule and be a companion On this effort.
These are primary dedications, However they’re Best when every particular personal agency alongside The current chain does The identical factor. And now we’re Making an attempt to trucking and freight to increase hours as properly To assist with bottlenecks. Rail freight, Particularly, has An important position to play.
To be clear, It Does not matter what we do Inside the brief time period, we finally have A drawback of performance of our ports, our freight rail, our streets and bridges. Put merely, a lot of the delivery and freight infrastructure was constructed many yrs And even generations in the past, and People are importing and exporting Extra of we did again then.
The federal authorities Shall be A strong And mighting companion On this effort Inside the shut to time period, However in addition in rebuilding A greater system for the Twenty first century.
We’ll be working with stakeholders throughout The current chain for a 90-day dash to The prime of the yr to troubleshoot and alleviate A lot of the bottlenecks We will shortly tackle.
We Want to work together the states, As properly as to companions On this effort, and assist them enhance their freight movement stpricegies.
The Prefacetnt’s bipartisan Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act Goes To assist us modernize our delivery infrastructure and increase our performance.
For the shut to-time period modifications that Have to happen in particular personal corporations, we’ll be the reliable suppliers and companions, and we’ll current carrots and sticks wright here We will.
Today’s dedications are a huge deal And might go a Good distance in tackleing brief-time period problems. However in The Prolonged time period, We’d Want to Spfinish money on our infrastructure to accommodate the growing Quantity Of merchandise.
Thanks.
MS. SIMONS: Thanks, [senior administration official] and [senior administration official].
We’ll now take A pair of questions. As a reminder, this name is on againground, attributSuccesful of “senior administration officers.” And to ask A question, please use the “enhance hand” carry out.
All of the questions and options are embargoed till 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, Together with the information that was simply converseed about.
First, we’ll go to Chris Megerian from The l. a. Times.
Q Howdy, everyphysique. I’ve A question. The Port of Los Angeles Goes to 24/7, but is Prolonged Bevery not? And my Adjust to-up question on that is: Wright here is the manpower and the funding coming to staff this 24/7? Who Shall be funding The further time? You know, wright here will the people be coming from to, You understand, fill these ranks?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Chris, good question. The Port of Prolonged Bevery has already gone to 24/7, and they’ve been doing that for Barely over three weeks now.
So, the Port of Los Angeles Is definitely meeting that effort, so the mixed port complicated, which carry outs as one When it Includes its financial influence, is all 24/7.
We ought to acknowledge that it takes effort to ramp As a lot as 24/7 operations. However what We now have with this announcement is A very strong signal to The Reprimaryder of The merchandise movement chain thOn these ports are open for enterprise, they’ll opeprice round the clock. It’s time for The Reprimaryder of The merchandise chain To Do this.
And Everytime you couple that with the dedications That are made by A few Of these primary companies To maneuver their cargo off-peak, You start to see that virtuous cycle that builds a 24/7 items chain.
MS. SIMONS: Thanks.
Q I’m sorry, I’m not quite constructive I understand. Who — it takes staff to run the ports, clearly. So, wright here is that staff coming from, and who’s going To choose up the invoice for The further time and everyfactor like that?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The Internationwide Prolongedshoremen Workers’ Union, the ILWU, has made a dedication that They are going to be In a place to staff 24/7.
The port operators — the time periodinal operators Inside the port pay for that labor, and they — It’s As a lot As a Outcome of the time periodinal operators to truly open up these hours and e-book the cargo actions Inside the off hours.
So, labor has pledged thOn they’ll be tright here. All of us know thOn they’re dedicated to doing this, and we know it partially because they labored via The complete pandemic as frontline staff On The briefage of Pretty A pair of ILWU staff.
Q Thanks.
MS. SIMONS: Thanks, [senior administration official] and Chris.
I furtherly Want To say that [senior administration official], Who’s [redacted], is becoming a member of us for the Q&A as properly.
Subsequent, we Could have Josh Boak from the AP.
Q Thanks as quickly as extra for doing this. A very straightforward question: As of yesterday, LA and Prolonged Bevery had 81 ships at anchor and 62 at berth. Wright here do you anticipate these numbers to be as this course of starts going? What does success Appear to be?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, first, Josh, success is meaconstructived by The current chain shifting in the direction of a 24/7 operation. You will Have The power to’t flip A Lightweight change On thMight be very difficult current chain and have it change overEvening time, but we’re already seeing indicators of it. And via the dedications Which have been secured from primary retailers, For event, that’s A strong signal to do it.
And the huger problem is the fluidity and The velocity of The current chain and Ensuring that it’s fluid Inside the sense of With The power to work 24/7, Which incorpoprices The complete current chain — not simply the ports, However the railstreets, trucking corporations, warehouses, distribution facilities, and achievement facilities.
And with that, we’ve — collectively, We will work down that that againlog — it’s important To know thOn tright here’s two factors Occurring right here: one is The rise in container visitors, which, for the Port of Los Angeles, is over 20 % above final yr; After which the second is the disruption in current chain.
We — all of us — Our buying for habits are completely different than they have been, and we’re buying for extra merchandise on-line. We’re buying for extra shopper merchandise Usually, particularly Through The peak of the pandemic, And fewer in The biggest Stpricegy of completely different discretionary purchases.
So, these disruptions Inside The current don’t go amethod overEvening time, but opening up Evening time performance via that complete chain is the quickest method and The only long-time period Method to truly flip it round.
MS. SIMONS: Thanks. Our next question will go to Alex Leary from the Wall Road Journal.
Q Thanks. Unconstructive if I Might be heard right here. However tright here was a letter —
MS. SIMONS: You can be heard.
Q Okay, great. Thanks. Tright here was a letter right now despatched to the administration from the American Affiliation of Port Authorities. One, Do you have to could tackle that. They’re primarily asking if The federal authorities can faucet the nationwide protection funding To assist pay for A few Of these transfers. Is that Beneath confacetration? Will we hear some about that tomorrow?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, first, Alex, I really feel it’s worth noting The huge An factor of the American Affiliation of Port Authorities letter, which wAs a Outcome of their pledge, past the Port of Los Angeles and Prolonged Bevery, for The primary load facilities, As a Outcome of they’re acknowledged — collectively with Savannah and Ny, New Jersey, and completely differents — To start out shifting to a 24/7 operation. That’s a daring pledge by a number of ports, recognizing that this May be An extfinished-overdue phenomenon.
So I might say, furtherly: They outlined Pretty A pair of potential stpricegies thOn the federal authorities Might probably assist them. We’re evaluating all of them, and all of them are on the desk at this level.
MS. SIMONS: Good, thanks. And tright here’s Barely feedagain on your finish. I’m not constructive what It’s, but simply Want to flag that.
Okay, next we will do James Politi from the Monetary Times.
Q Howdy tright here. Thanks for this. I used to be simply questioning Do you have to could Type of Clarify exactly which corporations are making dedications. I do know you converseed about Walmart, FedEx, UPS, However in addition mightbe Home Depot and completely differents. Might you Clarify which new dedications To maneuver to 24/7 you’re seeing, and what wAs a Outcome of their Start line?
And in addition, you converseed about Type of carrots and sticks For A lot of Who’re shifting in that course. What are A few of the sticks That you merely might be confacetring For A lot of who don’t go to 24/7?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, thanks for the question, James. So, the first: Tright here’ll be extra particulars tomorrow, but I did level out Walmart, FedEx, and UPS with particular dedications shifting in the direction ofs 24/7, and completely differents collectively with Goal, Samsung, And refacetntial Depot — and, we confacetr, many completely differents to Adjust to — are both making particular dedications or They’re wanting On their current chain proper now and figuring out exactly What Type of dedication They will make.
However these combination numbers Of these dedications are enough to drive the system in the direction ofs a 24/7 basis.
And When it Includes the carrots That are On the market, one event Can be in Type of The center mile of the distribution system, wright here the freight railstreets have The power to — via their advertising packages — To current off-peak incentives to incentivize Evening time use of ramp performance.
The similar is true of the time periodinal operators On the ports Who’re Those Which Are exactly working the port on these public lands and They’ve The power to financially incentivize Evening time use as properly.
We’re encouraging all the gamers all via The merchandise movement chain to do exactly that.
Q Sorry, and the sticks?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: We’re very a lot focused on the carrots at this level. I really feel what all of the clients of The current chain need To imagine about Is that they don’t Have to be Ignored. In case your rivals can transfer off-peak extra effectively than you can and with greater velocity, Certainly one of many sticks is the market, And that i really feel you Have to be Aware of the market.
MS. SIMONS: Okay. Thanks. Subsequent, we will go to Jennifer Epstein from Bloomberg.
Q Howdy. I simply needed to ask about what We will anticipate from Prefacetnt Biden and the administration tomorrow now That you merely converseed about that A lot of this has to do with what’s coming from the ports and what’s coming from corporations. And, clearly, You understand, whOn these corporations are saying is Partially The outcomes of, I assume, the administration’s work with all these corporations As a Outcome of The obligation force was shaped.
However are tright here particular directives That are going to be coming from the Prefacetnt tomorrow or factors that he’s going to ask corporations to do, Even Once they’re not, You understand, one factor in an authorities order, For event?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, Jennifer, I really feel it’s important to first state And enconstructive everyphysique understands that this is principally A particular personal sector system — The merchandise movement chain. Even the ports are particular personal operators on leased public land, primarily.
And so Because it’s particular personal sector-pushed, A few of the important carry outs thOn the federal authorities can play is the reliable supplier position and getting completely different facets collectively. Over the previous a number of weeks and months — it started with the work that Secretary Howevertigieg undertook — it was very clear that this was A very siloed items movement system That alstpricegies doesn’t converse with Each completely different and converse To at least one ancompletely different very properly, and Doesn’t share knowledge.
So, Certainly one of many — The general reliable supplier position in conveying facets collectively, I really feel you see proof of that tomorrow Inside the dedication of primary retailers with particular
quantity dedications, and the Port of Los Angeles, To maneuver 24/7.
And conveying these facets collectively is one important carry out thOn the federal authorities can do On this particular personal sector-pushed And particular personal sector-owned system.
MS. SIMONS: Subsequent, we’ll go to John Biers from Agence-France Presse.
Q Thanks. Thanks for taking my question. I’m questioning how a lot of a distinction do you assume This will make. Certainly one of the factors we’re listening to Tons about is labor briefages all via the system, thOn tright here’s simply — whether or not it’s lack of
truckers or people really feeling — A scarcity of staff in distribution facilities, warehouses, so forth, retailers — how a lot of this is — how a lot of it This Is usually An problem with that that is simply going to be exactly exhausting To deal with Inside the brief run, do you assume?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: It’s important thOn the market signal be On the Market For twenty-4/7. And I earlier thanhand converseed about truck drivers in teaching and the federal authorities’s work to truly assist the states, because licensing is a state course of, but assist the states acceleprice their course ofes.
Tright here’s furtherly An exact willingness on the federal authorities’s facet, on the teaching facet Usually, To assist with that.
I really feel Certainly one of many factors we’re discovering Inside the brief time period is labor, Particularly, has agreed to step up and work further hours as needed, and step in, Inside the ports Particularly, and do extra. Which will create extra employment alternatives Eventually.
And wright here You’ve good-paying jobs You could assist household on, I really feel you’ll discover thOn The staff will Adjust to that And it will catch up.
MS. SIMONS: Good. We’re going To purpose to Slot in two extra questions. Mary Wellons from CNBC.
Q Hey tright here. I questioned Do you have to could elaboprice Barely bit extra on what We’d see from the trucking enterprise particularally. And in addition, you converseed about particular personal sector operators like FedEx and UPS, but you said That you merely’ll be Making an attempt to freight and trucking to step up. And what exactly are you hoping to see from these industries?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: We’ve been working very shutly with the trucking enterprise, each from a nationwide perspective and from An space one — For event, the Harbor Trucking Affiliation in Los Angeles and Prolonged Bevery.
And We now have heard loud and clear that, Inside the brief time period, somefactor We will do To reinforce The regular of the work expertise for drivers Can be useful. And the time periodinal operators On the ports have a huge position in that. And as quickly as extra, This Sort of (inaudible) an reliable supplier position, the federal authorities May assist with that as properly.
So, while tright here Are not any panaceas, tright here are definitely alternatives — and we’re pursuing all of them — To make sure that each on the viaput facet, wright here enterprise driver’s licensing by the states is accelepriced. And then Ensuring on the retention facet, doing what’s potential to make for A greater job expertise for drivers Is useful.
Certainly one of Some great advantages of Evening time port operations — the “Evening time gates,” As a Outcome of they’re acknowledged — is thOn the flip time — how shortly a truck can drop off an empty container, decide up a container and Exit, or convey a full agricultural export container for export, drop it off, decide up ancompletely different one, and Exit — these flip events are confacetrably faster at Evening time.
So, for drivers Who’re incentivized by the Quantity of flips, the Quantity of roundtrips thOn they make, 24/7 operations May even have A very constructive financial influence as properly.
MS. SIMONS: And for our final question, we’ll go to Jim Tankersley from The mannequin new York Times.
Q Howdy, thanks A lot. I’m simply curious how a lot you all assume the direct funds from the Recovery — the Rescue Plan are exacerbating these factors by fueling extrA requirement for items and by probably suppressing labor current via accrued financial savings.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I do know [senior administration official] is on The street right here and he’s far smarter on this than I could ever hope to be.
[Senior administration official]?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: As I joked to you earlier than (inaudible) is that I’m Much extra foolish to step into these breveryes of smart questions That you merely famously ask.
So, Jim, You understand, A few ideas. You know, first, When it Includes items And current chains, clearly what we’re seeing right here play out is The worldwide story. You know, that’s been true throughout semiconductors. That’s true as we’ve seen When it Includes transportation and logistics. You know, it’s been made extra difficult by the emergence of the Delta variant.
You know, I really feel it’s furtherly truthful to say that we do assume tright here’s demand factors of this, but, basinamey, We anticipate thOn the historic assist thOn the Biden-Harris administration has currentd to households and small companies throughout the nation has, You understand, been — it’s been very important. It’s An factor of The rationale why America is forward of wright here it was (inaudible) going to the pandemic, Type of alone Among The numerous G7 on that actuality.
And so, yeah, Tright here is A requirement factor that meets current round current chains. However, You understand, basinamey, that’s a Outcomes of the historic assist that’s been currentd. And that has, in flip, allowed the U.S. to have a restoration that’s outpaced completely different developed financial system friends.
On the labor current piece Particularly, I really feel that’s A very difficult set Of factors that drive that. You know, I really feel, Usually, We anticipate, as quickly as extra, the assist that was currentd via UI, via direct funds, via Pretty A pair of completely different steps was An important lifeline to households via A very troublesome time Inside the financial system.
And to the extent that that’s permitting people to be extra considerate about when And the method and for what supply they Decide to reconnect to the labor force, that finally Might be very encouraging for the Kinds of wages that Individuals are Succesful of command; I really feel we’ve seen proof of that.
This Can Even be, I really feel, very Looking forward to the long-time period Type of matching between particular person staff and The biggest alternative Inside the financial system, and finally Goes to be a revenue for The Prolonged time period — for the long-time period, Type of, well being and restoration of the financial system submit-pandemic.
So these Can be my observations on the question you requested.
Q Thanks.
MS. SIMONS: Thanks, [senior administration officers]. And to all the reporters, thank you for becoming a member of us. As a final reminder, this briefing is on againground, attributSuccesful of “senior administration officers” and embargoed till 5:00 a.m. Japanese tomorrow.
If you didn’t have An alternative to get your question requested, Be joyful to shoot me an e-mail and we will do Our biggest to get again to you. And thank you. We hope you all have An excellent Evening time.
7:04 P.M. EDT