Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. 311, S. 3580.

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I further ask that the committee-reported amendment be withdrawn; that the amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and agreed to; and that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the bill.
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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the Senate has just passed very significant and much needed legislation that will reduce costs for the American people by passing a bipartisan bill to reform unfair shipping practices hurting exports and consumers alike.

We have all seen pictures of scores of ships lining up in ports from Los Angeles to Seattle, to New York, to Savannah. Supply chain backlogs have made it harder for goods to leave these ports and get to their international destinations.

Every single day that goods lie idle in our ports, it costs producers more and more money. It is a serious problem, rippling from one coast to the other.

These backlogs have created serious price hikes. Today, according to one study, the price to transport a container from China to the west coast of the United States costs 12 times as much as it did 2 years ago--12 times. Talk about supply chain backlogs. This is it--a glaring, glaring example.

And, of course, it hurts both ways when shipping costs go up. It affects exports that we send overseas. It affects many of our farmers, who need to export their goods. It also affects the imports that come back. It affects all the goods that Americans buy from overseas-- appliances and food and so many other things.

When the cost of shipping is higher, the cost of the goods are higher, and people have to pay too much--a whole lot more.

At the end of the day, it is the American consumer that pays the higher price. Thankfully, this bill will make it harder for ocean carriers to unreasonably refuse American goods at our ports while strengthening the Federal Maritime Commission's ability to step in and prevent harmful practices by carriers.

This bipartisan shipping bill is exactly the sort of thing that the Senate should focus on. It is cost cutting; it is bipartisan; and it will directly give relief to small businesses and consumers alike.

And I would like to thank a good number of my colleagues who helped with this legislation. It was put together and sponsored in a bipartisan way by Senators Klobuchar and Thune. And Senator Cantwell, who understands the maritime industry probably better than any other Member in this Chamber, was relentless in pushing this legislation. It went through her committee, and now it has passed the Senate and, hopefully, will become law soon, and she deserves our kudos and accolades for the good job she has done for American consumers, farmers, manufacturers, and everybody else.

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