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LOS ANGELES, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Members of Congress have joined state and local leaders in urging California officials to hasten COVID-19 vaccinations for workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s two busiest, hit hard by pandemic workforce disruptions and surging imports.
As of Wednesday, 27 arriving container ships stood anchored off the twin ports complex waiting for berths to clear at terminals piled high with cargo from previous shipments, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California.
The bottlenecks are comparable to those last seen in 2014-2015 at the height of a months-long longshore contract dispute at 29 U.S. West Coast ports, said Kip Louttit, executive director of the exchange.
December 31, 2020 By Jim Myers
Washington, D.C. The U.S. House easily voted to override President Donald Trump’s stunning veto of a major defense bill that backers promote as a boost to the nation’s maritime industry.
Following the bipartisan House vote of 322 to 87, the Senate seemed ready to not only hand Trump the first veto defeat of his presidency but rescue a record of passing a National Defense Authorization Act every year for six decades.
“For the brave men and women of the United States armed forces, failure is not an option,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said, adding failure for the Senate is also not an option.
By City News Service
Dec 24, 2020
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Port of Los Angeles officials today said legislation passed with the COVID-19 relief package would significantly increase port and harbor funding.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2020 would unlock billions of dollars in the Harbor Maintenance Tax Fund, which collects revenue via imports, cruise passengers and certain domestic cargo, according to port officials.
HMT revenues were about $1.8 billion during the 2019 fiscal year, and the bill would allow those funds to be used “for their intended purpose ensuring that maintenance needs of U.S. ports and harbors are met, according to Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.