WASHINGTON - Clogged U.S. ports are being given access to nearly $450 million in federal money from President Joe Biden's infrastructure law as part of the administration's recent stepped-up efforts aiming to ease supply chain congestion and lower prices for American consumers.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday announced the availability of the first batch of competitive grants for ports that will be double last year's amount annually for five years.
The grants are aimed specifically at reducing bottlenecks that have slowed the flow of goods to store shelves and pushed up costs.RELATED: Biden: Infrastructure law to give $1B toward Great Lakes pollution cleanupThe grants are among several pots of money under the $1 trillion law that the department intends to steer toward providing mid-term and long-term relief to the nation's supply chain, which administration officials described as somewhat outdated and broken.
Still, acknowledging that the upgrades will take time, Biden officials have largely shied away from any assurances that Americans could see clear and demonstrable changes to their lives before the 2022 midterm elections.FILE - U.S.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks to the media after touring the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Jan. 11, 2022, in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) U.S.