WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Senate Agriculture Committee, today discussed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, legislation that would help address longstanding supply chain challenges. Thune’s bipartisan legislation, which he introduced with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), would level the playing field for American exporters by making it harder for ocean carriers to unreasonably refuse goods that are ready to export at ports. It would also provide the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) with new tools to more efficiently resolve disputes, which would benefit exporters, importers, and consumers alike.
Thune previously questioned stakeholders on the current supply chain crisis as well as the need for legislative solutions. In November 2021, he joined his colleagues in sending a letter to the FMC expressing concerns about how increased shipping costs are being passed on to American consumers. Last March, Thune led a letter urging the FMC to investigate reports of unreasonable practices by ocean carriers, specifically their refusal to carry certain agriculture products from U.S. ports back to Asia.