Biden met with CEOs of major retailers and shipping companies to address supply chain issues, a new report says

• Biden reportedly met with CEOs of major US retailers and shipping companies to address supply chain issues.
• The meeting comes after his administration announced a set of actions to alleviate port congestion.

President Joe Biden met with chief executives at major US retailers and shipping companies to alleviate supply chain bottlenecks, Bloomberg first reported Tuesday.

Recent supply chain shortages prompted by record-breaking consumer demand have fueled congestion at some US ports, of which much of the liability has fallen upon the Biden administration to fix it.

On Tuesday, Biden spoke with chief executive officers at Walmart, United Parcel Service, FedEx, and Target "to discuss steps that the Administration and private sector can take to further strengthen our supply chains and build on steps we've already taken to speed up deliveries and lower prices," a White House official told Fox News' Patrick Ward.

Earlier Tuesday, the Biden administration announced a set of actions to address the supply chain crisis in the wake of the newly passed bipartisan infrastructure bill.

According to a White House fact sheet, the actions will "lay the foundation for successful implementation of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. This action plan will increase federal flexibilities for port grants; accelerate port infrastructure grant awards; announce new construction projects for coastal navigation, inland waterways, and land ports of entry; and launch the first round of expanded port infrastructure grants funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal," citing a report by CNN.

A senior administration official told CNN that, though the spending bill has yet to be signed, "there is work going on right now to actually get these projects teed up, get these programs teed up and out the door."

"The entire goods movement system is assisted greatly through the bipartisan bill," the official said.

In February, Biden signed an executive order to bolster US supply chains in response to the snarls prompted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In mid-October, the president announced a plan to run California ports 24-hours-day, seven-days-a-week in an attempt to ease congestion at US shipyards and, in turn, address the supply chain issues which brought about slow delivery speeds and price inflation ahead of the holiday season.