Joint Economic Committee hearing explores port automation, regulatory pace and workforce tools to modernize U.S. supply chains

At a hearing of the Joint Economic Committee (date not specified), the committee chair and a panel of experts discussed how automation, regulatory change and workforce tools could reshape U.S. supply chains, with an emphasis on ports, regional manufacturing and the pace of regulation.

The committee chair opened the panel by asking experts to imagine a ‘‘clean-slate’’ vision for more efficient supply-chain infrastructure and said Congress and regulators currently slow investment: "The the vision for this hearing was what can we make the future look like?" the chair said. He framed the conversation around automation at ports, electric skids for rail and next-generation container handling that could cut handling times from hours to minutes.

Panelists said the United States has the technology to speed modernization but that investment is held back by legal and regulatory uncertainty, incumbent interests and the slow pace of rulemaking. "We need things that are streamlined, need things that are flexible, things that accommodate new technologies when they do come about," said Dr. McLaughlin, a panelist, arguing that regulatory infrastructure should be designed to permit innovation. "The procedure is defined by Congress, the Administrative Procedure Act," Dr. McLaughlin added, noting that rulemaking timelines and procedures limit how fast agencies can adapt.

Why it matters: Panelists tied automation and regulatory reform to workforce shortages and long-term…