Biden Announces Measures at Major Ports to Battle Supply Chain Woes (Published 2021) (2024)

WASHINGTON — President Biden announced Wednesday that the Port of Los Angeles will operate around the clock and major companies including Walmart, UPS and FedEx would expand their working hours as his administration struggles to relieve growing backlogs in the global supply chains that deliver critical goods to the United States.

Product shortages have frustrated American consumers and businesses and contributed to inflation, which threatens to hurt the president politically. And the problems appear poised to worsen, enduring into late next year or beyond and disrupting shipments of necessities like medications as well as holiday purchases.

Mr. Biden said Wednesday that the moves would almost double the number of hours that the Port of Los Angeles is open for business, in an effort to resolve a logjam that has slowed the shipment of manufactured goods from Asia. He praised the role of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in stepping up to work extended hours and also urged the passage of an infrastructure bill that would make significant investments in ports, roads and factories for the longer term.

“In order to be globally competitive, we need to improve our capacity to make things here in America while also moving finished products across the country and around the world,” he said. Samsung, The Home Depot and Target also committed to moving more products at night to help ease congestion at the Port of Los Angeles and the nearby Port of Long Beach, which together handle 40 percent of the shipping containers imported into the United States, the White House said.

But it is unclear how much the White House’s efforts can realistically help. The blockages stretch up and down supply chains, from foreign harbors to American rail yards and warehouses. On Wednesday, 25 container ships were anchored in the Port of Los Angeles waiting to unload their cargo, and the average anchorage time had stretched to more than 11 days. Analysts say some of these issues are worsening, and may last into late next year or even 2023.

Michael Farlekas, the chief executive of supply chain firm E2open, said that extended hours would help, but “I don’t think that’s going to materially move the needle. Some of the issues are just basic supply and demand issues.”