Early in March, the U.S. House of Representatives formed a bi-partisan caucus to help both current and future supply chains. The formation could not have come quickly enough as the world struggles to deal with major supply chain issues like the coronavirus outbreak. This issue, among others, has highlighted the necessity for unity in the government to combat modern supply chain crises and find practical, modern solutions.
The newly formed Supply Chain Caucus has expressed their desire to “strengthen and add resiliency to protect the delivery system, which can be severely harmed by geopolitical events such as the recent coronavirus outbreak that has had significant impacts on global supply chains.” To do this, they began with bi-partisan leadership. The caucus is co-chaired by Representatives Colin Allred (D-TX), Angie Craig (D-MN), Rodney Davis (R-IL), and David Rouzer (R-NC). Each member has expressed the desire for unity and U.S. supply chain success. Representative Rouzer stated, “A robust supply chain is critical to growing the economy and vital to America’s future.”
This new caucus has gained significant support in the private sector as well. Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of Arlington, Va.-based Consumer Brands Association stated, “American consumers have billions of interactions with consumer packaged goods each day. Ensuring access and affordability of these products is a complex task, made more challenging by the emergence of coronavirus …Our industry is grateful for the bipartisan leadership of the co-chairs in recognizing the critical role supply chains play and the importance of streamlining them for the benefit of consumers.”
So far, the caucus’s agenda has not been disclosed to the public and some may be wondering how this caucus differs from other legislative bodies like the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or the US Department of Transportation. Time will tell for sure, but leading experts like the CBA’s VP of Supply Chain think that this caucus has formed to help innovate policy to help make supply chains as smooth as possible. He said that “The creation of the House Supply Chain Caucus underscores the need to accelerate policy solutions and technological innovations that deliver for American consumers… The caucus’ comprehensive approach to identifying policy priorities intended to achieve frictionless supply chains will help Congress create smart, bipartisan solutions that allow Americans better access to affordable, safe products when and where they need them.”
