Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis on Wednesday sent President Joe Biden a letter urging the White House to consider a raft of options to ease the nation’s supply chain disruptions ahead of the holiday season.
Lummis, who represents Wyoming, suggested the president could pursue unilateral action that would have “an immediate and measurable impact” to improve the transportation of goods by truck drivers, railroad workers and other shippers.
Specifically, she encouraged Biden to allow 18-year-olds to drive trucks in interstate commerce, direct the Department of Defense to find potential storage sites on the West Coast and do away with vaccine mandates that could discourage freight workers from seeking jobs.
“With the holiday season rapidly approaching, consumers are now facing the likelihood of empty shelves in stores and delayed shipping for online purchases,” Lummis wrote. “Removing barriers that allow the private sector to operate efficiently is the best path forward to rebolster our supply chains.”
The letter from Lummis, a member of the Senate Commerce and Banking committees, comes as the freshman senator works to establish herself as a leading voice on economic and financial issues. She has focused on financial innovation and digital currencies, and co-authored a bipartisan amendment popular with the cryptocurrency industry that would have refined the definition of a broker in the infrastructure legislation.
Supply chain headaches
Lummis’ letter to Biden comes as a combination of raw materials scarcities and staffing shortages hamper the broader U.S. supply chain and cause headaches for businesses across the country.
The impact has been overwhelming for American retailers and manufacturers, causing inventory problems and shipping delays at firms as diverse as clothing stores and cell phone makers.
Biden addressed the supply-chain issues on Sunday during the annual gathering of G-20 leaders.
“Supply chains are something that most of our citizens never think twice about until something goes wrong. And during this pandemic, we’ve seen delays and backlogs of goods from automobiles to electronics, from shoes to furniture,” he said. “We have to take action now, together with our partners in the private sector, to reduce the backlogs that we’re facing.”
