Senator Reverend Warnock hosted a roundtable discussion with business, port and labor leaders in Georgia on how to best mitigate supply chain disruptions gripping the global economy

Senator Warnock has long been focused on addressing supply chain issues, through passage of the U.S Innovation and Competition Act, the bipartisan infrastructure deal and the upcoming economic package

Earlier this year, Senator Warnock launched a push to expedite passage of legislation to boost American semiconductor manufacturing following industry supply chain issues

Roundtable comes as Senator Warnock introduces the Supply Chain Resiliency Act, which would create a new program to monitor supply chain shortages and provide financing to expand manufacturing and logistical capacity across the nation

Senator Reverend Warnock: “I’ve been working on supply chain issues since I got here to Washington”

***WATCH FULL VIDEO OF SENATOR REVEREND WARNOCK’S SUPPLY CHAIN ROUNDTABLE HERE***

Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) hosted a virtual roundtable discussion with several infrastructure, business, labor and consumer advocacy leaders in Georgia on how to best mitigate the supply chain problems gripping the global economy. Senator Warnock convened the conversation to hear from local voices about how the federal government can be a better partner in resolving Georgia’s supply chain issues, and will take recommendations from Georgia leaders to his Senate colleagues in Washington, D.C. as he continues exploring how Congress can best work to curb global supply chain disruptions. Several Georgia business, port, and labor leaders joined Senator Warnock for the conversation, including the Georgia Carpenter’s Union’s Political Director Brett Hulme; Norfolk Southern Railroad’s Group Vice President of International Marketing and Sales D’Andrae Larry; Chief Administrative Officer of the Port of Savannah, Jamie McCurry; Kubota Manufacturing of America Vice President Phil Sutton; and Chief Executive Office and Co-Owner of Suwanee’s Winton Machine Company, Lisa Winton.

While Georgia and the nation’s economy are improving, the economic crisis brought upon by COVID-19 is still being felt by many. To that end, since entering Congress, Senator Warnock has worked diligently to understand and address the supply chain issues that have impacted consumers and businesses in Georgia. Senator Warnock has championed legislation to address supply chain shortages such as the Industrial Finance Corporation Act, which creates new financing for small manufacturers to promote innovation and create good jobs through domestic production. Senator Warnock’s leadership on the U.S Innovation and Competition Act, the bipartisan infrastructure deal, and the upcoming reconciliation package currently being debated in Congress positions Georgia to be a leader in R&D into the future and addresses supply chain issues. In the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, Senator Warnock authorized two provisions to stress the importance of the semiconductor supply chain. Thanks to Senator Warnock’s leadership, the reconciliation deal will include $5 billion for the Department of Commerce to monitor supply chains and provide loans, grants, and guarantees to spur domestic manufacturing in critical industries. It also includes $600 million for port infrastructure and supply chain resiliency.

Senator Warnock has also repeatedly raised supply chain issues in the Senate Commerce Committee, including during a hearing this month with Dr. Laurie Locascio, nominee for National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director. President Biden has tasked NIST with investigating the nation’s supply chains, and in the hearing, Dr. Locascio committed to working with Senator Warnock to address the specific needs of Georgia businesses. Additionally, last month, Senator Warnock sent a letter to Congressional leaders calling on them to establish a Critical Supply Chain Resilience Program in reconciliation to protect domestic supply chains. And, Senator Warnock has spoken in Georgia about the need to strengthen supply chains and visited businesses, such as Kia Georgia, that face shortages and production cuts due to shortages in semiconductors and other critical materials.

Key excerpts from Senator Reverend Warnock:

“Georgia and the nation’s economy are improving, but we’re not out of the woods yet, the economic crisis brought upon us by COVID-19 is still something we are wrestling through. Worker filings for unemployment benefits declined last week to their lowest level since the coronavirus pandemic began – that’s good news – and the unemployment rate in Georgia is down to 3.2 percent. But we all know that there are other problems that have to be addressed.”

“The challenge we are here to discuss today is the supply chain crisis, and its effect on Georgia businesses, workers, and families. The supply chain is not just the movement of finished goods, but it is also of materials and parts used within the manufacturing process. And so it effects producers and manufacturers and obviously consumers alike. Supply chain disruptions are improving, but consumer demand continues to rise. It seems that every month we hear that the Port of Savannah –where I’m from – is breaking records on the volume of cargo being moved. We’re grateful for the work the men and women who are working around the clock for the Georgia Ports Authority are doing – they are doing a yeoman’s job – a lot of heavy lifting, figuratively and quite literally. Still, these problems are not unique to Georgia’s ports, or to just America. Nearly 13 percent of the world’s cargo shipping capacity is tied up, right now, by delays. Ports in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East are experiencing some of the same issues we are. But that does not mean we cannot identify what is working and what is not, and do everything we can to alleviate the strain. And so I’ve been working on supply chain issues since I got here to Washington.”

“One of the ways we are going to get through this is by investing in infrastructure. I’m proud of the work the Senate did on the bipartisan infrastructure deal – this is good news for Georgians in every corner of the state and especially good news for Georgia businesses and Georgia corporations. The bill is all about infrastructure and not only prioritizes fixing our roads and rebuilding bridges, it also includes major investments in our ports, our rail networks, and our airports. It gives us the tools to support a long-lasting recovery by funding rural broadband development, directing resources to prop up manufacturing, secure our supply chain, and investing in R&D to foster the right environment for innovation.”

“Congress is also working at the same time on the next economic package that is going to help families, workers, and businesses in our state continue to thrive. We’ve got these two bills and we need them both – the bipartisan infrastructure bill and then the second economic package: both invest, in different ways, in our total infrastructure and our ability to be productive and to grow out the economy and create prosperity for all of our families. This second bill will help fuel our economic recovery, and set our state up for future success for generations. The Build Back Better bill is what I’m talking about and it will create incentives to grow American supply chains in renewable energy and other critical industries.”

“I have also worked on other legislation to address the issue. This includes legislation in August, the Industrial Finance Corporation Act, which would create new financing for small manufacturers to promote innovation and create jobs in Georgia. And then this week I also plan on introducing yet another bill, with Senator Baldwin, it is the Supply Chain Resiliency Act, which would create a new program at the Department of Commerce to monitor supply chain shortages and provide financing to expand manufacturing and logistical capacity.”

WATCH the full video of Senator Reverend Warnock’s roundtable on Georgia’s supply chain issues HERE and read below for the transcript of his opening remarks:

Georgia and the nation’s economy are improving, but we’re not out of the woods yet, the economic crisis brought upon us by COVID-19 is still something we are wrestling through. Worker filings for unemployment benefits declined last week to their lowest level since the coronavirus pandemic began – that’s good news – and the unemployment rate in Georgia is down to 3.2 percent. But we all know that there are other problems that have to be addressed.

The challenge we are here to discuss today is the supply chain crisis, and its effect on Georgia businesses, workers, and families. The supply chain is not just the movement of finished goods, but it is also of materials and parts used within the manufacturing process. And so it effects producers and manufacturers and obviously consumers alike. Supply chain disruptions are improving, but consumer demand continues to rise.

It seems that every month we hear that the Port of Savannah –where I’m from – is breaking records on the volume of cargo being moved. We’re grateful for the work the men and women who are working around the clock for the Georgia Ports Authority are doing – they are doing a yeoman’s job – a lot of heavy lifting, figuratively and quite literally. Still, these problems are not unique to Georgia’s ports, or to just America. Nearly 13 percent of the world’s cargo shipping capacity is tied up, right now, by delays. Ports in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East are experiencing some of the same issues we are. But that does not mean we cannot identify what is working and what is not, and do everything we can to alleviate the strain. And so I’ve been working on supply chain issues since I got here to Washington.

One of the ways we are going to get through this is by investing in infrastructure. I’m proud of the work the Senate did on the bipartisan infrastructure deal – this is good news for Georgians in every corner of the state and especially good news for Georgia businesses and Georgia corporations. The bill is all about infrastructure and not only prioritizes fixing our roads and rebuilding bridges, it also includes major investments in our ports, our rail networks, and our airports.

It gives us the tools to support a long-lasting recovery by funding rural broadband development, directing resources to prop up manufacturing, secure our supply chain, and investing in R&D to foster the right environment for innovation.

This infrastructure bill will also help us grow more high-wage jobs, and will invest $100 billion in proven workforce development programs to make sure our state has a skilled and trained workforce ready to seize these opportunities.

I am excited for it to get across the finish line, hopefully in the coming days, we need to get this bill to the President’s desk and have the bill signed into law.

Congress is also working at the same time on the next economic package that is going to help families, workers, and businesses in our state continue to thrive. We’ve got these two bills and we need them both – the bipartisan infrastructure bill and then the second economic package: both invest, in different ways, in our total infrastructure and our ability to be productive and to grow out the economy and create prosperity for all of our families.

This second bill will help fuel our economic recovery, and set our state up for future success for generations. The Build Back Better bill is what I’m talking about and it will create incentives to grow American supply chains in renewable energy and other critical industries.

How does it do this? By delivering universal pre-k and child care to our nation – it takes care of the future workforce and enables the current workforce to actually go to work in an environment where most families work, everybody in the house has to work. It will be easier for Americans to re-enter the workforce after starting families, and by expanding access to high-quality postsecondary education and workforce training, Georgians will be able to learn the necessary skills to be successful as our Georgia’s businesses develop cutting edge technologies.

I have also worked on other legislation to address the issue. This includes legislation in August, the Industrial Finance Corporation Act, which would create new financing for small manufacturers to promote innovation and create jobs in Georgia.

And then this week I also plan on introducing yet another bill, with Senator Baldwin, it is the Supply Chain Resiliency Act, which would create a new program at the Department of Commerce to monitor supply chain shortages and provide financing to expand manufacturing and logistical capacity.

And so in closing, and nobody believes a preacher he says ‘in closing,’ in closing the purpose of today’s discussion is to discuss both the successes and shortcomings of Georgia’s supply chains. Each one of you brings a unique perspective and expertise on Georgia’s economy and feels the effects of the supply chain problems.

Today’s talk will help inform me as I work with my colleagues in the Senate and in the administration.

Remember — we are here today to find solutions. Not to blame or point fingers. This is a complex set of issues and problems and there is no easy or quick fix – we understand that – but we got to do everything we can to alleviate bottlenecks in every step of the process. We are in this together and so let’s talk together about how we will move forward.

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