Apparel and Footwear Industry Calls for Supply Chain Resolutions in Direct Comments to the Department of Transportation

October 18, 2021 | WASHINGTON, D.C.

The American Apparel & Footwear Association submitted comments to the Department of Transportation today in response to a Federal Register notice on the supply chain crisis currently disrupting the country’s economic recovery. Citing skyrocketing container rates, unreasonable practices, and the inability to move containers from ports, AAFA called on the Biden administration to bring all stakeholders together to develop and implement solutions and to aggressively enforce existing rules and regulations regarding unreasonable practices and excessive and unjust fees.

“The administration’s move last week to secure longer hours at the Ports of LA and Long Beach is largely symbolic. It fails to address the continuing problems moving containers out of the ports, or what is going on at other ports around the country,” said Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. “Much more needs to be done to end this backup, and more must be done to address price gouging and unreasonable practices by carriers. Further, we continue to call for the Federal Maritime Commission to properly use the authorities it already has to help mitigate this crisis.” 

AAFA’s comments are available for download here.

AAFA has been vocal about the shipping crisis for the past several months, sending several letters to President Biden on the issue, including one on September 20. More recently, AAFA sent a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative asking for tariff relief to help businesses struggling through this crisis. AAFA also supports the bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 – a bill that would address many of the long-term issues causing today's unprecedented supply chain disruption – as well as the infrastructure package on the table to help avoid such a logistics crisis in the future.