White House looks for a quick fix
But supply, internet woes not easily cured
The Biden administration is relying on infrastructure dollars to help fix the clogged ports and blanket the nation with internet access — but a series of initiatives rolled out Tuesday show that the urgent pace might not be fast enough to address the immediate needs of an economy coping with a supply chain squeeze and a shift to remote work.
President Joe Biden spoke with the CEOS of Wal-mart, Target, UPS and Fedex on Tuesday about how to relieve supply chain challenges. The key problem is that these ports are experiencing record volumes of shipping containers as the economy has recovered from the pandemic.
Biden received updates from the CEOS on how deliveries are being sped up to ensure that store shelves will be well-stocked this holiday season, according to a White House official.
Yet the concrete policy steps being discussed by the administration show that there is no quick fix to supply chain issues.
Nor can the administration build out a national broadband network fast enough as more Americans are pivoting toward remote work.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo highlighted at the White House briefing the $65 billion for broadband access in the $1 trillion infrastructure package that cleared the House on Friday.
She said that jobs would be created and poorer Americans would receive “affordable” internet service, though she did not spell out a precise dollar amount on what the monthly bills could be.
“The president wants us to get it right,” Raimondo said. “And if it takes a little longer to lay the groundwork for fiber and broadband, then we’re going to do that.”