President Joe Biden appointed Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack as co-chair of a team tasked with addressing a supply chain crisis that led to empty grocery shelves. However, records indicate that Vilsack did not attend any meetings, according to the Washinton Examiner.
This occurred in June 2021, as the disease outbreak resulted in supply chain disruptions and the government’s increased spending. The Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force was created to address the issue with a comprehensive approach.
Despite initial promises, meetings between the task force and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack never materialized.
According to records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by the Functional Government Institute, there is no evidence that Vilsack or his representatives participated in any meetings with the task force following its launch.
Instead, Vilsack focused on accusing the meat industry of exploiting the disease outbreak for financial gain.
He was not the only member of the supply chain initiative who was absent, as Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, another co-chair of the task force, went on paternity leave in August 2021 and his absence went unnoticed for two months.
The task force was assigned by President Biden with the goal of addressing bottlenecks and supply limitations in various industries. However, the May 2022 report from the Congressional Research Service fails to mention any specific actions taken by the task force to accomplish its objectives.
As a result, critics argue that the policies implemented by the Biden administration were insufficient in addressing and resolving supply chain challenges.
