No images? Click here White House Appoints Port Envoy to Address Supply Chain Disruptions On Friday, August 27, 2021, the White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that John D. Porcari will be the Port Envoy to the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force. Envoy Porcari will work closely with Secretary Buttigieg and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) as well as the National Economic Council to address congestion at U.S. ports. Disruptions in global shipping and rapid shifts in demand have led the cost of shipping containers between China and the West Coast to grow more than 90% compared to 2019. Containerized cargo volumes rose 40% in the first half of this year compared to the same time last year at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together handle the largest share of containerized cargo moving through U.S. ports. Envoy Porcari will work with stakeholder and others at the ports to address the backlog and associated delivery delays and product shortages being experienced by American consumers and businesses. Read more about John Porcari’s Appointment HERE. Highway Trust Fund ShortfallThe Federal Highway Administration told state transportation departments that Highway Trust Fund balances could drop below $1 billion. A cash shortfall is expected in the highway account of the trust fund “in the coming months,” FHWA Chief Financial Officer Brian Bezio said in a memo last week. FHWA is planning to use “cash management procedures,” including suspending the standard approval of reimbursement requests, to keep a positive balance if there is a shortfall, Bezio wrote. The Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill, which includes surface transportation reauthorization programs expiring on Sept. 30, would provide more than $100 billion to bail out the Highway Trust Fund. Hurricane Ida Damage Could Boost InfrastructureHurricane Ida wrecked transmission lines and left New Orleans in darkness, but infrastructure advocates see an opportunity in the destruction for the region to rebuild a grid that’s more resilient to the increasingly violent storms. “If we are going to make our country more resilient to natural disasters wherever they are we have to start preparing now,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said. “We can’t look in the rear-view mirror and say ‘boy I wish we were prepared.’” Read more HERE. White House Begins Debt-Ceiling Push With Congress BriefingsOn Wednesday, September 1, 2021, the White House stepped up efforts to get Congress to raise the federal debt ceiling, holding a public-relations strategy meeting with Senate Democratic aides. National Economic Council Deputy Director Bharat Ramamurti and Treasury counselor Ben Harris conveyed the message to Democrats that it’s the shared responsibility of Republicans to avoid a U.S. payment default -- reinforcing a narrative that Democrats have been reciting for weeks. The messaging push comes after 46 out of the 50 Senate Republicans wrote on Aug. 10 that they would not vote to increase the debt ceiling -- a sufficient number to block a bill doing so under normal Senate procedures. Read more HERE. GCCA Monthly Advocacy WebinarOn Thursday, September 2, 2021, GCCA hosted our monthly Advocacy Webinar Series. This webinar focuses on newly issued COVID 19 OSHA guidance. As the COVID 19 Delta variant continues to run rampant, both CDC and OSHA have issued new guidance on how best to protect yourself and your workers. In addition, hear about new developments on the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the budget reconciliation package currently being considered in Congress. Watch a recap of the webinar HERE. Call to Action: Nominate a Cold Chain Champion Do you have a colleague who you believe performs exceptional work and deserves special recognition? We are highlighting our members and their achievements on social media. Nominate yourself, your company, or your colleague for a chance to be spotlighted as a #ColdChainChampion! Submit nominations, a short explanation, and a photo to Rachael Oury at roury@gcca.org. |