(NAFB) – The National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council lauded passage by the Senate Commerce Committee of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act.

The approval Tuesday establishes Senate committee support for action to address shipping supply chain challenges as Congress prepares to begin conference procedures on the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation & Competition Act and the House-passed America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength Act in the coming weeks.

Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of NMPF, says, “Export supply chain issues continue to pose immense challenges to dairy exporters, which is why this legislation remains so critical as part of a broad-based approach to tackling those problems.”

In the House, Representative Dusty Johnson, a South Dakota Republican, says, “Getting this bill across the finish line and signed by the President is crucial to begin easing the costly problems created by foreign carriers’ unfair shipping practices.