U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) announced they had reintroduced legislation that would strengthen the American supply chains.
The Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act would authorized the U.S. Department of Commerce to strengthen the supply chain for critical industries and emerging technologies, the lawmakers said. If passed, the legislation would work with authorize the department to work with the private sector and the U.S. government to anticipate and prevent future supply chain disruptions before they happen.
“From our aerospace manufacturers to our growers, Washington state relies on robust supply chains to produce, grow and ship our products to the world,” Cantwell said. “One supply chain shock can disrupt the entire system, driving shortages, and raising costs. Our legislation will get the government, businesses and manufacturers working together to identify gaps and build capacity to prevent supply chain disruptions before they happen. It will strengthen American manufacturing jobs, keep our store shelves stocked and lower costs for American families.”
Lawmakers said the legislation would create a new government wide “Supply Chain Resilience Working Group” to prepare for and respond to supply chain shocks, as well as to identify any gaps or vulnerabilities in the supply chain for critical goods, and would require the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis to evaluate the impact supply chain shocks could have on market stability, among other things.
“Strengthening supply chains is essential to ensuring that groceries, fuel, household products, and every other consumer product is accessible and affordable,” Blackburn said. “To achieve a strong, resilient, supply chain, we must have a coordinated, national strategy that decreases dependence on our adversaries, like Communist China, and leverages American ingenuity. By establishing a supply chain resiliency program at the Department of Commerce, the U.S. government can better coordinate with private sector partners, identify risks, and increase our competitiveness.”