Bipartisan Senate Bill Introduced on Supply Chain Preparedness
A bipartisan bill aiming to prevent shortages of critical goods, such as N95 masks, would authorize $1 billion over five years for the Commerce Department, and would establish an Office of Supply Chain Preparedness in the department. The bill, introduced March 18, would establish a National Guard-style program of manufacturing and supply chain experts who could be deployed to the federal government in times of crisis. The bill is sponsored by Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.
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In announcing the bill, Rubio said, “The pandemic made it impossible to ignore the vulnerability of America’s supply chains and the structural deficiencies underlying our productive capacity. We cannot afford to be caught off guard again. Congress must take action to address our nation’s critical manufacturing and supply chain-related shortcomings, particularly in sectors dominated by China.” The office would also create a data exchange, coordinating with the private sector to aggregate and analyze supply chain data, so potential shortages could be predicted.