Vox Sentences - A $450M supply chain fix

US ports will have access to funding to help modernize and improve logistics; Ukraine declares a state of emergency.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Ellen Ioanes.

Ports will get $450 million for improvements

Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images

• Ports throughout the US will have access to $450 million in funds through the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last year to help ease supply chain constraints, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Wednesday. Bottlenecks have plagued US ports throughout the pandemic due to decades of disinvestment and increased demand for consumer goods over the past two years. [Al Jazeera]
• The money will be distributed in grants, which ports will have to apply for, and will likely be distributed in the fall. While the money is intended for improvements that will modernize US ports, the investment won’t pay off in lower prices and clearing shipping backlogs just yet. [Washington Post / Ian Duncan]
• Ports applying for funds under the new program will have to show that the projects they propose, in addition to helping modernize and improve the port’s productivity, will support climate change mitigation, race and gender equity, and domestic building and purchasing. This will be the largest investment in the Port Infrastructure Development Program — about twice the amount set aside last year. [Bloomberg / Laura Curtis]
• The announcement comes the same week the Transportation Department releases its report on the supply chain, conducted over the past year. That report cites the need for improved cooperation and information-sharing between the government and the private sector, and will provide even more money to improve supply chain logistics. [AP / Hope Yen]
• The grants are only part of the investment the Biden administration plans to make in the port and supply chain infrastructure as concerns about inflation imperil the Democratic Party’s chance to hold its congressional majority after the November midterms. The infrastructure bill will invest a total of $17 billion in the nation’s ports and waterways. [Department of Transportation]

The Ukraine crisis has reached a boiling point

• Ukraine has announced a state of emergency because of the likelihood of invasion by Russia. The state of emergency will last 30 days and is intended to shield the economy by protecting critical infrastructure, banning strikes in the short term, and potentially placing limits on transportation. [Reuters / Pavel Polityuk and Maria Tsvetkova]
• Meanwhile, a cyberattack hit several Ukrainian websites Wednesday, including those of Parliament and the Ministry of Defense. Last week, cyberattacks that the White House linked to the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU, hit Ukrainian banks and other key websites. [NPR / Bill Chappell]
• Also on Wednesday, Biden announced that the US would move forward with sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, the company building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. “These steps are another piece of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine,” Biden said in his announcement of the sanctions. [CNN / Natasha Bertrand, Kevin Liptak, and Phil Mattingly]
• Russia, for its part, evacuated its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday. Ukraine recalled its ambassador from Moscow, and leaders have publicly said they’re considering breaking diplomatic relations with Russia. [AP / Dasha Litvinova, Yuras Karmanau, and Jim Heintz]

President Joe Biden has interviewed at least three candidates for the Supreme Court seat that will be vacant when Justice Stephen Breyer retires. [NYT / Katie Rogers]

• Burkina Faso is reportedly considering a two-and-a-half-year transition to democratic elections following a military coup last month. [Reuters]
• The Supreme Court will hear a Colorado website designer’s claim that forcing her to design a wedding website for an LGBTQ couple violates her right to free speech. [Washington Post / Robert Barnes]
• A group calling itself the “People’s Convoy” is set to depart on Wednesday from California, protesting Covid-19 restrictions, to arrive in Washington, DC, on March 1 for the State of the Union. The National Guard is on alert to deploy if necessary. [Guardian / Mark Oliver and Sergio Olmos]

“We must rally and meet this challenge together for peace, and to save the people of Ukraine and beyond from the scourge of war ... The United Nations and the entire international system are being tested and we must pass this test.“

[UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, addressing reporters about the crisis unfolding in Ukraine]

Vox’s Jonathan Guyer explains how a Russian invasion of Ukraine could affect me and you and everyone we know. [Spotify]

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