Delaware Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester introduces legislation to bolster supply chains and proactively prevent disruptions.
The Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act would create a whole-of-government approach to mapping, monitoring, and proactively strengthening American supply chains, bringing manufacturing jobs back home, and ultimately lowering costs for American consumers.
“And so part of our goal is to not wait until we have these problems and these shortages, but to be proactive as a country and to predict what might be a challenge. And as we look towards not only our economy, we’re also talking about lowering the price of goods.”
Being proactive includes developing a national strategy to elevate the issue's importance and exploring emerging technologies to focus on.
The legislation would also create a program for mapping and monitoring supply chain shocks before they occur, which Blunt Rochester says historically, the Department of Commerce has not been focused on.
“This bill will allow us to be able to predict, it will have a focus that looks at what is coming down the pike, what are some of our needs, and making sure that we create jobs here at home so that we don’t have supply chain challenges like we had during the pandemic," she says.
Other pieces of the legislation include bringing labor to the table to advise on policy, Blunt Rochester noting workforce is an important factor in creating strong and resilient supply chains. She adds the bill also focuses on bringing manufacturing jobs back to America.
“If we can make it in America, we should make it in America," Blunt Rochester says.
A capability assessment would also be conducted on the map and monitor the program to expand it – similar to the grant and loan fund conceived in the America COMPETES Act.
The bill will be heard in the House Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday morning
