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IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS: PRESIDENT BIDEN’S ACTIONS TO TACKLE SUPPLY CHAIN SNARLS ARE WORKING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 22 2021
PRESS CONTACT: [email protected]

IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS: PRESIDENT BIDEN’S ACTIONS TO TACKLE SUPPLY CHAIN SNARLS ARE WORKING

NYT: “Why Christmas Gifts Are Arriving on Time This Year“

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Biden and his administration have made taking on the pandemic and building a strong economic recovery its top priority, including taking aggressive action to address pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions and bring down prices for families. Today, as the President convenes members of his Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force and private sector CEOs, it’s clear that progress is being made as Americans can expect to see their holiday gifts arrive on time.

This builds on the record economic growth the Biden-Harris Administration has delivered, including higher than expected growth in the third quarter. New data today shows that Americans are feeling the progress – with consumer confidence growing in December. As the Administration remains laser focused on reopening the economy and boosting American families, the forecast heading into 2022 is bright, with analysts expecting the economy to “grow by around 6% in 2021 and 4% or more in 2022, the highest rates for decades.”

The Biden-Harris Administration is using every tool at its disposal to get goods moving, keep shelves stocked, and further lower prices for families:

  • The Administration has implemented a Port Action and Trucking Plan, and moved our largest ports and retailers to 24/7 operations.
    • Now, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have moved 15% more containers between January and November of 2021 than the previous record.
  • The Administration has also cracked down on delays at our ports and worked to speed up the unloading process.
    • Since early November, the number of containers sitting on the docks for over eight days has fallen by nearly 50% and the average amount of time containers sit on docks has fallen by seven days. The price of shipping a container from Asia to the West Coast has also fallen by more than 25% since September.

The latest reporting shows that the President’s efforts to take on supply chain bottlenecks are working: 

  • New York Times: Why Christmas Gifts Are Arriving on Time This Year
    • “[D]elivery companies have given consumers little to complain about. By some measures, in fact, they have done a better job this holiday season than even before the pandemic.”
    • “The achievement is all the more notable given that Americans are on track to spend more this holiday season than the one before — up to 11.5 percent over 2020, according to the National Retail Federation, a trade group.”
  • Fox Business: “USPS does not expect any delays as shipping deadline approaches”
  • CNN: “Deliveries of packages by UPS, FedEx and the US Postal Service are all moving at close to 100% on-time performance, according to data from ShipMatrix, a software provider that works with parcel shippers.”

The President’s efforts to tackle the supply chain have earned him the praise of leading CEOs:

  • Reuters: “Walmart CEO says Biden supply chain push is easing bottlenecks.”
  • Mattel CEO: “I was very impressed and encouraged by the keen interest in real partnership the president, and the administration as a whole, is demonstrating in supporting the private sector and collaborating with retailers and suppliers to make sure there is enough product on shelves for the holiday season.”
  • Axios: “Etsy CEO Josh Silverman, who met with President Biden in that meeting, told Axios that he’s ‘heartened’ by the administration’s infrastructure investments.”

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