Tester Says Supply Chain Issues Improving

By Bill Vander Weele

During a call with Montana news members on Thursday, Dec. 9, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., noted that strides are being taken to improve the country’s supply chain but more work still needs to be accomplished.

“We’re heading in the right direction,” Tester said. He added that the average time to transport goods has reduced significantly during the past few weeks.

Tester said large retailers such as Walmart have reported that their shelves are fully stocked.

The senator noted that the bipartisan infrastructure law invests in railroads and ports to speed up the system. “But it won’t happen tomorrow,” Tester said.

He added that he has several bills that address the supply chain regarding meat packers. One bill would allow the sale of a state inspected meat across state lines.

“The food chain, supply chain, we need to continue to look at ways to improve them to make it more efficient,” Tester said.

On another issue, Tester is pushing to suspend Brazilian beef imports. He’s calling on experts to review the commodity’s safety after Brazil delayed reporting cases of Mad Cow disease.

“I’ve had concerns about importing beef for a long time,” Tester said. “We can’t afford to put our cattle industry at risk.”

When asked about the fire damage in Denton, Tester said his thoughts are with the community as it recovers from the disaster.

Tester, 65, says he doesn’t remember such as big of a fire ever happening in the state during December.

“It’s about climate. It’s absolutely about climate, he said.

He said that many states west of the Mississippi River suffered with drought while many states east of the river experience floods this year.

“We have to wake up and determine what Mother Nature is telling us,” Tester said.