Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman John Garamendi, a friend and a person who I have worked with on a host of issues over the years, and Congressman Dusty Johnson. This is a good example of what bipartisan cooperation is all about. Mr. Speaker, I commend Congressman Garamendi's leadership in this effort--a member of the subcommittee and the full committee--with Congressman DeFazio in working out the differences, which was important.

Having said that, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, of which I am a cosponsor, is the first major update in Federal regulations for global ocean shipping since 1998. Think about how much the world has changed in 23 years in terms of trade.

This legislation, as I said, is a result of bipartisan efforts.

This legislation supports U.S. exporters who have been disproportionately impacted by unfair trade practices in our ports and harbors.

No ship arriving with imports should leave an American port empty when products are ready to go, and that is what is happening, sadly.

Enacting strong regulatory framework will help end these disruptions to deal with the issue of demurrage and backup on the supply chain that has created this bottleneck.

We can and must do more to ensure that all exporters in this country have a fair and level playing field. California agricultural producers, as well as other U.S. exporters should be able to ship their products without unnecessary delays. It is a national security issue.

The increased shipping container costs and delays exporters are facing only continue to impact our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Let me give you a local example. California is our Nation's largest agricultural producer and exporter with more than 400 commodities, over a third of the Nation's vegetables and two-thirds of the Nation's fruits and nuts. Forty-four percent of California's agriculture production is exported.

The San Pedro Bay Complex, which we otherwise call the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports in southern California is the ninth busiest in the world and provides importation of 40 percent of the container industry in America. Think about that. This is where the bottleneck is most acute.

It is necessary that we utilize all resources to reduce port congestion and empower the Federal Maritime Commission to do what they can and should do. This is about short-term and long-term solutions to relieve the bottleneck in this supply chain. This is about an effort to, in fact, provide relief that benefits American workers, American consumers. It is about the economic recovery; it is about trade; and it is about jobs.

I urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan piece of legislation. It is a part of the short-term and long-term solution. I recommend a ``yes'' vote on this legislation.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I would just note Mr. Costa's unyielding advocacy of this project, this issue and thank him for that support.

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