(Washington) — Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne is among those calling for a series of solutions to supply chain issues.
The West Des Moines Democrat recently unveiled her “supply chain solution agenda,” a list of measures she’s supporting to alleviate economic disruptions affecting Iowa’s small businesses and families. Speaking on a recent edition of KMA’s “Morning Line” program, Axne says she’s proposing six pieces of legislation to tackle delays and uncertainties caused by supply chain problems.
“We’ve seen continued disruptions to the supply chain,” said Axne. “So, we’re facing delays and uncertainty. I want to make sure that we help get goods out of our state–our agriculture goods, in particular. We’ve got to make sure those get in container. And, we want to make sure that we’re keeping our supply chain moving.”
Axne’s six-point agenda includes the trillion-dollar infrastructure bill approved in Congress and signed by President Biden, and the Build Back Better Act passed by a party-line vote in the U.S. House last week, and now pending in the Senate. Also included is the Ocean Shipping Reform Act–bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing port congestion by prohibiting ocean carriers from declining to pick up U.S. exports on return journeys to trade partners.
“If folks don’t know,” she said, “approximately 90% of the world’s goods are transported by sea. So, when we have 90% of the goods transported by sea, we’ve got to make sure that we’re addressing the port congestion, and protecting us from the ocean carriers who are declining to pick up U.S. exports on return journeys. That definitely impacts our ag producers in a big way.”
Axne also supports the Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy, or DRIVE Safe Act, which would address the driver shortage in the truck and logistics industry, and enhance safety training and job opportunities for young truckers. Among other things, the DRIVE Act establishes an apprenticeship program, allowing for the legal operation of a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce by commercial drivers license (CDL) holders under the age of 21. Axne, however, says many of the supply chain issues were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What folks seem to not remember is that this is worldwide pandemic,” said Axne. “We are still in it. It has disrupted supply chains around the world. We’ve had hundreds of thousands of Americans unfortunately die of COVID. That’s the same in other countries. That means we’re down people, and that means we’re down production. That also means we’re down movement of goods.”
And, the congresswoman says Americans need to look at the big picture in solving the supply crisis.
“I want people to look at this holistically as a worldwide issue,” she said, “not something that the president or Congress just created. You just can’t do that. This is something we need to address bipartisanly, and get things done.”
Another part of her agenda is the so-called MADE HERE Act, which stands for Manufacturing American Dynamism in Entrepreneurship and Harnessing Education to Retool Employees. It’s designed to promote a skilled workforce by bringing together education institutions, private companies, nonprofits, labor groups and government-funded resources to solve “pressing issues in the area of manufacturing.” The congresswoman also calls for establishment of a nonpartisan commission of experts to study the U.S. critical supply chain.
