FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Leslie Lake, 571-378-6757 [email protected]

March 5, 2020

Increasingly global supply chain requires new approach from Congress

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Consumer Brands Association today announced its support of the newly created, bipartisan Congressional Supply Chain Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. The launch of the caucus coincides with the coronavirus outbreak which is disrupting global supply chains and threatening access to the products upon which consumers depend. The consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry supports 1.2 million infrastructure jobs and accounts for one-fifth of total freight in the United States.

“American consumers have billions of interactions with consumer packaged goods each day. Ensuring access and affordability of these products is a complex task, made more challenging by the emergence of coronavirus,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO, Consumer Brands Association. “Our industry is grateful for the bipartisan leadership of the co-chairs in recognizing the critical role supply chains play and the importance of streamlining them for the benefit of consumers.”

Reps. Colin Allred (D-Texas), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) and David Rouzer (R-N.C.), will serve as co-chairs of the caucus and are actively recruiting members to join them as they work to “strengthen and add resiliency to protect the delivery system, which can be severely harmed by geopolitical events such as the recent coronavirus outbreak that has had significant impacts on global supply chains,” as stated in a letter to their congressional colleagues.

“The creation of the House Supply Chain Caucus underscores the need to accelerate policy solutions and technological innovations that deliver for American consumers,” said Tom Madrecki, vice president, supply chain, Consumer Brands Association. “The caucus’ comprehensive approach to identifying policy priorities intended to achieve frictionless supply chains will help Congress create smart, bipartisan solutions that allow Americans better access to affordable, safe products when and where they need them.”

According to the co-chairs, the caucus will collaborate to elevate supply chain issues for their constituents now and in the years to come. Many of these issues are interconnected, requiring greater coordination on Capitol Hill and innovative thinking to deliver the maximum benefit to the consumer. The Consumer Brands Association will work with the caucus as an additional and important venue to further engage lawmakers on ways to achieve the world’s most innovative and efficient supply chains.

“We appreciate the co-chairs’ leadership in tackling an issue of such massive scale and impact with the end goal of smart policy solutions that build sustainable, transparent and efficient supply chains,” said Madrecki.

What They’re Saying

“After my years in global manufacturing, I understand the challenges our businesses face and look forward to supporting policies that improve our supply chains for our nation’s products. I’m honored to be announcing the new bipartisan Congressional Supply Chain Caucus with my colleagues Reps. Allred, Davis and Rouzer to work together on policies that will make sure our family farmers and small businesses continue to be prioritized as we work on smart supply chain legislation,” said Rep. Craig.

“Our businesses are more interconnected than ever before and Congress must work together to ensure our policies help our businesses grow and create good jobs,” said Rep. Allred. “From the food on our table to the parts in our cars, we all rely on an increasingly diverse global supply chain. I look forward to working in a bipartisan way to support businesses, and the workers that power them, with my fellow Caucus co-chairs.”

“Not only do we need to ensure we’re making the transportation investments to allow freight to move easily throughout this country and abroad, but we need to make sure we don’t have outdated laws that are stifling innovation. Technological advancements continue to change the way products get to consumers. This caucus will help us identify areas where we can help industry safely and efficiently keep up with consumer demand,” said Rep. Davis.

“A robust supply chain is critical to growing the economy and vital to America’s future,” said Rep. Rouzer. “I’m pleased to join my colleagues to launch this bipartisan caucus to foster ideas that will improve and strengthen the supply chain. This will help better ensure that the entire business community has access to the products and technology needed to compete in the global marketplace.”

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The Consumer Brands Association champions the industry whose products Americans depend on every day, representing more than 1,700 iconic brands. From household and personal care to food and beverage products, the consumer packaged goods industry plays a vital role in powering the U.S. economy, contributing $2 trillion to U.S. GDP and supporting more than 20 million American jobs.