Joe Biden Touts Supply Chain Crisis and Costly Gas Prices as 2021 Achievements

Wendell HuseboDecember 20, 2021

President Joe Biden over the weekend touted the supply chain crisis and costly gas prices as 2021 accomplishments.

Though 104 ships were waiting to port in Southern California, according to Marine Exchange, the White House announced it would include the number of ships waiting to dock as a 2021 accomplishment.

“The number of containers sitting on the docks at ports for over a week has been cut by half since the beginning of November, and store shelves are stocked for the holiday season,” the White House wrote.

The number of ships delayed outside the ports has not been reported below 100 since September.

Ship Report 12/17: 104 ships inside 40 mi of LA/LB including 47 loitering or anchored & 57 at berths. Of the 104, 52 are container ships including 23 at anchor or loitering & 29 at berth. 18 ships loitering; 11 container, 4 bulk, 3 tankers. pic.twitter.com/SykvKkazZr

— Marine Exchange (@MXSOCAL) December 18, 2021

Southern California docks are not the only jammed ports. Ports in Georgia, New York/New Jersey, South Carolina, and Seattle are also backlogged, slowing the transportation of goods and driving up costs.

According to the Health Industry Distributors’ Association, up to 12,000 shipping containers full of medical supplies are waiting to be offloaded onto the docks around the nation.

Biden also claimed that gas prices were another example of his success in 2021.

A pedestrian walks past gas station fuel prices above $5 and $6 per gallon at Death Valley National Park in June 17, 2021 in Furnace Creek, California. - Much of the western United States is braced for record heat waves this week, with approximately 50 million Americans placed on alert Tuesday for "excessive" temperatures, which could approach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) in some areas. The National Park Service warns of extreme summer heat, urging tourists to carry extra water and "travel prepared to survive" in the hottest, lowest, and driest national park featuring steady drought and extreme climates. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

While gas prices have climbed more than $1.00 under Biden’s presidency, Biden championed that prices have slightly come down.

“The price of gas at the pump has decreased nearly 10 cents since its peak, and continuing to fall,” the White House touted.

Gas prices have increased during Biden’s presidency due in large part to his war on American energy independence.

During Biden’s tenure, his administration has probed fossil fuel leases and pipelines. It has rejoined the Paris Climate Accords, along with investigating oil companies for allegedly “gouging people” at the pump.

And despite Vice President Harris slamming Donald Trump in 2020 for refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, gas prices reached record highs in November until Biden released the Reserve to reduce prices.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø.