Samuel Case, FISM News
The White House announced that the Los Angeles port will begin operating 24 hours a day to help with supply chain issues. Major corporations have also agreed to send trucks during nighttime hours to avoid a bottleneck at the ports.
The nearby Port of Long Beach had moved to 24/7 operations in September, also in an effort to deal with backlogged ships and supplies.
“Today I’m announcing that the Port of LA will begin operating around the clock 24/7 to make sure Americans can get the goods they need,” President Biden said in a tweet.
After working closely with my team, the Port of Los Angeles is announcing today that it will begin operating 24 hours 7 days a week — which follows the Port of Long Beach’s commitment.
A 24/7 system is what most of the leading countries operate on. Except us. Until now.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 13, 2021
This announcement comes as more than 80 ships have been anchored off both LA and Long Beach ports for several weeks. Port congestion has been an issue plaguing the U.S. since mid-August.
In late-September FISM News reported that over 60 cargo vessels were awaiting entry into the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, accounting for 40 percent of all US imports. At the same time two dozen more ships were anchored outside the Port of New York and New Jersey, America’s second largest port. The continued backlog is due to an increase in demand and shortage of workers.
Wednesday afternoon the president gave remarks on supply chain issues and the shipping backlog. In the address, Biden announced that along with the LA port working 24/7, several big-box stores will be working overtime to clear out backed up shipments.
Today, Walmart, our nation’s largest retailer, is committing to go all in on moving this product — its products 24/7 from the ports to their stores nationwide. Specifically, Walmart is committing as much as a 50 percent increase in the use of off-peak hours over the next several weeks.. . . And other companies are stepping as well. They include Target, Home Depot, and Samsung that have all committed to ramp up their activities to utilize off-peak hours at the ports.
Following his remarks Biden left without taking questions from the press as one reporter inquired if the supply chain issues will affect Christmas present deliveries.
WATCH: Joe Biden ignores questions from reporters.
“Will Christmas presents arrive on time, sir?”
“What are you going to do to lower gasoline prices?” pic.twitter.com/XmQ2JZKNnm
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 13, 2021
Earlier on Wednesday White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the administration “cannot guarantee” Christmas presents will arrive on time, but said the administration is working to address delays.
.@PressSec can't guarantee that Christmas presents will arrive on time this year:
"We are not the postal service, or UPS, or Fed-Ex. We cannot guarantee…" pic.twitter.com/s8IbNua1hx
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 13, 2021
During the press conference Psaki tried to shift blame from the administration, saying it was “inevitable” there would be economic “challenges” coming out of the pandemic.
Despite Biden’s desire to avoid these questions, the supply chain issue is a major concern for American citizens.
A new Rasmussen poll shows that 85% of Americans are worried that the supply chain issues will lead to mass shortages of essential items, with 49% of those report that they are “very concerned.” Only 11% of those polled said they were not concerned about the problem. In addition 62% of Americans say that they have already experienced a shortage of basic items due to the supply chain dilemma.