Cantwell and Blackburn File Bill Identifying Supply Chain Gaps

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., announced legislation Tuesday that would have the Commerce Department leading a “government-wide approach” to monitoring and identifying gaps in U.S. supply chains. The Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act targets supply chains for “emerging technologies” and “critical industries.” Cantwell’s office cited supply chain disruptions, including a global chip shortage, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic as motivation for introducing the bill. The legislation would direct that the Commerce Department create a program to “map, monitor and model U.S. supply chains.” The department would identify and anticipate gaps for “critical goods,” including “any gaps in manufacturing, warehousing, transportation and distribution.” Commerce would create an “early warning supply chain disruption system” using AI and quantum computing to “identify potential supply chain shocks before they occur.”