U.S. Ports Receive $450 Million from Infrastructure Bill
The funds are part of the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce supply chain congestion and lower prices for American consumers, according to the AP.
New grants offer funds: On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the availability of port grants that are designed to reduce bottlenecks. The grants are double last year’s amount and will be provided annually for the next five years. U.S. ports have until May to apply for the grants, and they will be awarded next fall.
New report outlines fixes: The Department of Transportation released a report this week on how best to fix supply chain gaps. According to the report, necessary action includes better government cooperation and data sharing with the private sector and more federal funding to increase warehouse capacity and ensure more seamless rail, water and truck transportation.
Impact of 2021 grants: Last year, the DoT awarded $241 million in grants, which helped increase the length of workdays at major ports and improve recruitment and retention in the trucking industry.
Our work: The NAM has been extensively involved in policy work to address supply chain challenges—from our proposal to strengthen supply chains to our successful efforts to develop and pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill.