White House Creates Cabinet-Level Supply Chain Council

Monday, November 27

The White House has created a cabinet-level supply chain council to tackle large-scale supply chain challenges.

The Biden administration has revealed an extensive plan to tackle U.S. supply chain-related issues this week, including addressing inflationary price hikes on consumer goods, food, and equipment, enabling domestic manufacturing of essential medicines, and initiatives designed to bolster clean energy sectors, including manufacturing for critical minerals, grid-scale batteries, and electric vehicles.

The plan will employ both domestic tools and international collaborations to strengthen diversification.

The Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Energy and the Department of Commerce are all partnering to address the overall goal of shoring up industrial resilience, with the HHS appointing a supply chain resilience coordinator. President Biden plans to expand HHS authorities under the Defense Production Act, facilitating domestic manufacturing of essential medicines.

While the Department of Transportation’s FLOW program (Freight Logistics Optimization Works) aims to reduce inflation by connecting various supply chain facets, the challenge lies in convincing stakeholders to share data. The White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience and the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy have been initiated to oversee data sharing and enhance the nation’s freight network. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security’s Supply Chain Resilience Center will collaborate with private businesses to mitigate risks and disruptions.

The council’s first quadrennial supply chain review is scheduled for completion by December 31, 2024.

Read more detail about the Biden administration announcing massive logistics plans from our friends at Freightwaves.