KEYC 

By Aaron Stuve

Disruptions to the global supply chain have caused economic disruptions both across the United States and around the world.

Supply chain problems can arise from individual disruptions or blockages interrupting the shipment and supply of resources on a larger scale, meaning what happens in one part of the country can easily affect residents on the other side.

“There is many companies in this area that is reliant on the global supply chain and utilizing containers. And so it has messed up farmers, it’s messed up agribusiness it’s messed up other manufacturers, and leads to the issue of the steam freighters’ contract’s ability to provide the containers as they had before,” GreenSeam Director Sam Ziegler explained.

These disruptions have caused lawmakers to look into how these issues can be fixed, and the supply chain restored.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) proposed legislation cosponsored by thirteen other senators that would restrict the ability of global shipping companies to stop US-made products from being shipped abroad.

Klobuchar believed this will return power to US-based manufacturers and farmers.

“This is really important for the Mankato area because of the ag producers. Soybean, corn, you name it. They’ve really, it’s hurt our economy, that we haven’t been able to ship things as quickly as we need,” said Klobuchar.

A similar bill has already been passed in the House of Representatives with a vote of 364-60, and Klobuchar believes that with bipartisan support, the bill would be able to be passed as a part of the “Make it in America” package of bills in the next couple of months.

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