Jan 13, 2022
In the first Rural Matters Bonus Brief of 2022, Michelle and
Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves come together again to
discuss how rural America is struggling to keep up with inflation
and supply chain issues.
They begin their conversation discussing how the pandemic has
affected global supply chains. “...for the last two years, we have
been in this global pandemic. That has had a major impact on the
supply chain, not just in this country, but the entire world. And
when we shut down in 2020 for the pandemic, it just takes a lot of
time to get the economy back online again,” said Graves.
Graves covers over the actions that the Biden-Harris Administration
have taken to reduce prices, eliminate bottlenecks in the supply
chain, and ease access to products and services for consumers. He
also speaks on President Biden’s Action Plan for America’s Ports
and Waterways, as well as the Administration’s decision to release
50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to
lower prices for Americans.
Lastly, Michelle and the Deputy Secretary touch on capacity
building, and how President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
is seeking to improve U.S. infrastructure for the long-term. “It’s
our ports, it’s our airports, it’s our highways, it’s our railways,
our bridges. Making sure that all across the country the
infrastructure that we see, especially in rural areas that has
continued to crumble, that we are making the investments that we
need... for the long run. That is going to position us to be the
most productive country in the globe,” said Graves.
If you would like to listen to Michelle and Deputy Secretary Don
Graves’ previous conversation on the American Rescue Plan,
click here.