(ConservativeStar.com) – The supply chain for many products has broken down for myriad reasons. One cause is a rush of orders as pandemic restrictions eased causing demand for cargo space to outpace capacity by as much as 30%. In addition, there’s a lack of space in American ports to handle the containers coming off the ships and not enough trucks to haul what’s there. This crisis is causing President Joe Biden’s administration along with trade groups and think tanks to start throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks.
According to reports, one possible solution is the use of National Guard troops as the Drano to clear the clogged pipeline.
Facing a mounting supply chain crisis, the White House is exploring whether to deploy the National Guard to ease bottlenecks, though that option is viewed as unlikely, a person familiar with the matter told CNN: https://t.co/3BII2Q1uBh
— Matt Egan (@MattEganCNN) October 20, 2021
Scott Lincicome, of the Cato Institute, told the Washington Post it most likely wouldn’t help unless the service members in question “have experience in any of the aspects of ports and logistics work….” Also, manpower shortage is not the main issue but rather, it’s the need for more truck bodies and expanded container storage at the ports in question. These are major problems that have no quick fix and the National Guard will be no help in this situation, which is why the Biden administration is unlikely to use the troops.
While the Guard was a great help in distributing the various coronavirus vaccines, that was simply the need for muscle power because the product and sufficient trucking space were already present. Many retail firms are telling the public they should start the Christmas shopping season sooner rather than later, expect shortages in stock, and anticipate higher prices.
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