In a virtual roundtable on Thursday, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg met with leaders throughout the Biden administration in a roundtable discussion on the congestion at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
In the meeting, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Dr. Jewel Bronaugh; Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg, Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman Daniel Maffei; Acting Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Lucinda Lessley; Acting Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administrator (FRA) Amit Bose; Acting Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Meera Joshi; Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti; Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia; and key stakeholders within the supply chain discussed the consequences of congestion and looked at opportunities to improve the flow of cargo and information sharing at the ports.
According to the USDOT, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach see about 40 percent of all containerized freight coming into and out of the country.
“For the past year, those who work at our ports, including our longshore workers, terminal operators, and truckers, have stepped up to keep freight moving and our economy running,” said Secretary Buttigieg. “For our economy to fully recover, we now need our vital supply chains to operate smoothly and without avoidable congestion. Today’s conversation represents a chance for us to come together and find solutions for American consumers, workers, and small businesses.”
The discussion is part of the Biden Administration’s efforts to addressing the challenges that are disrupting the supply chain. During the discussion, David Kim, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), announced his agency would be organizing a forum to improve cargo movement and that the agency would reach out to the public regarding the issue in advance of the forum.