ICYMI: Secretary Buttigieg and Deputy Secretary Trottenberg Tout Supply Chain Investments and Progress Last Week

Secretary Buttigieg spoke at the inaugural White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience meeting and visited the Port of Monroe in Michigan

Deputy Secretary Trottenberg attended a groundbreaking at Port Newark

Washington, DC — Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg highlighted major Biden-Harris Administration investments that will strengthen supply chains, helping to reduce shipping time, costs, and ultimately lower the price of goods for the American people.

Secretary Buttigieg began the week with President Biden for the inaugural meeting of the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience to announce new actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to strengthen supply chains and lower costs for American families. As part of the announcements, the U.S. Department of Transportation launched the new Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy and shared significant progress improving supply chain efficiency through DOT’s Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program.

On Wednesday, Secretary Buttigieg traveled to Monroe, Michigan, to the Port of Monroe, which was awarded $11 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to improve its efficiency and capacity. The Port of Monroe is an important link in the Great Lakes industrial supply chain and recorded its highest tonnage numbers in recent shipping seasons. Through BIL, the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $17 billion to modernize America’s coastal, Great Lakes, and inland river ports to strengthen supply chain reliability, create workforce development opportunities, speed up the movement of goods, and improve the safety, reliability and resilience of ports.

Deputy Secretary Trottenberg joined leaders from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at Port Newark to celebrate the groundbreaking on a project supported by a $44 million grant from the Biden- Harris Administration. This project will redesign the port’s roadways, decreasing congestion and increasing efficiency, improving the way products are transported through the busiest region in the country.

Read more about last week’s supply chain events:

CNBC: Sec. Pete Buttigieg: There’s more work to be done on supply chains for long-term strength

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg joined ‘Closing Bell Overtime’ to talk holiday travel, FAA funding, supply chain issues and much more.

Voice of America: Biden Convenes New Council on Supply Chain Resilience

U.S. President Joe Biden convened the new White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience on Monday, where he announced new actions aimed at strengthening America’s supply chain to lower costs for U.S. families, while warning companies against taking advantage of inflation by price gouging. […]

Biden was joined by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who said the U.S. is seeing lower inflation and fewer supply chain issues since problems peaked during recovery from the COVID pandemic in 2021.

Detroit News: Buttigieg promotes federal infrastructure investments in Michigan visit

Buttigieg’s stop in Monroe highlighted upcoming infrastructure investments in the port, which is receiving $11 million to help expand cargo capacity, and in the city, which is getting a $24 million grant to build an underpass to eliminate train delays at West Elm Avenue. […]

Staff at the Port of Monroe said the $11 million will go toward renewing aged infrastructure and building new infrastructure like renewable energy cargo containers.

NJ.com: $220M federal grant will help roads around Port Newark, so you can get your goods faster

In addition to getting deliveries to warehouses and distribution centers on time, the new rod system also will help truckers, the majority of whom are independent contractors, Rooney said.

“They get paid by the move, so the ability for them to get in and out of the port complex quickly and deliver their cargo and come back in for their next move…time is money for them,” she said.

NorthJersey.com: How to speed up North Jersey supply chain? Port Authority has $176 million plan for that

Some $2 billion in federal money has been invested in the ports during the Biden administration, and Adm. Ann Phillips of the Maritime Administration called it a “generational” investment. Biden’s centerpiece legislation, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, added $450 million annually over five years to federal port investment, up from $230 million annually for the Port Infrastructure Development Program.