Less than a week after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis put out the word to shipping companies that ports in the Sunshine State are open and ready for business, Joe Biden announced a plan that he says will be a “game changer.”
“The Port of LA will begin operating around the clock 24/7 to make sure Americans can get the goods they need,” he said.
Today I’m announcing that the Port of LA will begin operating around the clock 24/7 to make sure Americans can get the goods they need.
My Administration is working around the clock to move more goods faster and strengthen the resiliency of our supply chains.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 13, 2021
As of last week, an estimated 500,000 shipping containers were sitting on cargo ships off the Southern California coast.
Ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, recently broke records for the number of cargo ships waiting to dock. Those ships are carrying a variety of products for the American market, everything from sneakers to toys, to toilet paper.
Biden delivered remarks after meeting with senior officials and stakeholders to discuss efforts to address global transportation supply chain bottlenecks in the East Room of the White House.
“I know you’re hearing a lot about something called supply chains and how hard it is to get a range of things from a toaster, to sneakers, to a bicycle, to bedroom furniture,” Biden began. “That’s why back in February I signed a piece of legislation on supply chains—er … executive order—on supply chains, and what we had to move on it.”
BIDEN: "I know you’re hearing a lot about something called supply chains and how hard it is to get a range of things from a toaster, to sneakers, to a bicycle, to bedroom furniture." pic.twitter.com/8p987n35zl
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 13, 2021
After studying the situation for eight months, the regime came up with a genius plan. In short, the Port of Los Angeles, and other key ports will stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and truckers will move the goods at night when the roads are less crowded.
“The night hours are critical for increasing the movement of goods because highways, highways are less crowded in the evening, at night,” he said.
“Today’s announcement has the potential to be a game changer,” he said.
Here's the video of President Biden explaining why truckers can make more progress by being allowed to drive overnight and off-peak hours of AM and PM rush hours because — wait for it — the roads aren't as crowded.
And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, will help fix the supply chain pic.twitter.com/e35xse5AB7
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 13, 2021
Joe Biden vowed to call out companies that don’t address the global supply chain problems to the regime’s satisfaction.
“If the private sector doesn’t step up, we’re going to call them out and ask them to act,” Biden warned.
Walmart, FedEx, UPS Target, Home Depot, and Samsung have all committed to ramp up their hours, according to the White House.
“All of these goods won’t move by themselves. For the positive impact to be felt all across the country and by all of you at home, we need major retailers who ordered the goods and the freight movers who take the goods from the ships to factories and to stores to step up as well,” Biden said.
As usual, he left the podium without taking any questions.
https://twitter.com/beingrealmac/status/1448367513088274434?s=20
Biden didn’t address the shortage of truck drivers in California—one of the main contributing factors behind the backlog.
In March of 2019, California passed a law regulating on-road diesel vehicles. Trucks and buses with a 2009 engine model year or older are not compliant. A separate labor law called AB 5 reportedly makes it close to impossible for owner/operators to work in California.
Traditionally the ports have been served by Owner Operators (non union). California has now proposed banning Owner Operators.
Long term, truckers in California are not investing in new trucks because California has a law that makes them illegal in 2035. The requirement is to purchase electric trucks which do not exist in large numbers and are constrained by their short range.
Florida business leaders say California is no longer the most efficient way to move goods around the country, and that the Sunshine State is the answer.
“Florida is where your success comes in, and our seaports are the solution to ensure the cargo shipping logjam doesn’t become the Grinch that stole Christmas,” said Michael Rubin, President and CEO of the Florida Ports Council.
“Why pay to moor off the coast of California, when Florida shipping lanes are open and serving as the gateway for getting goods to America’s market,” Rubin said in a press release.
“Florida is open for business, and we are the solution to help resolve the global supply chain crisis,” Rubin added. “Instead of waiting off the coast of California, cargo vessels can offload and move their product to Florida and other discretionary markets in the same time it takes to find space in an increasingly congested California.”