In the first Rural Matters Bonus Brief of 2022, Michelle and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves come together again to discuss how rural America is struggling to keep up with inflation and supply chain issues. They begin their conversation discussing how the pandemic has affected global supply chains. “...for the last two years, we have been in this global pandemic. That has had a major impact on the supply chain, not just in this country, but the entire world. And when we shut down in 2020 for the pandemic, it just takes a lot of time to get the economy back online again,” said Graves. Graves covers over the actions that the Biden-Harris Administration have taken to reduce prices, eliminate bottlenecks in the supply chain, and ease access to products and services for consumers. He also speaks on President Biden’s Action Plan for America’s Ports and Waterways, as well as the Administration’s decision to release 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower prices for Americans. Lastly, Michelle and the Deputy Secretary touch on capacity building, and how President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is seeking to improve U.S. infrastructure for the long-term. “It’s our ports, it’s our airports, it’s our highways, it’s our railways, our bridges. Making sure that all across the country the infrastructure that we see, especially in rural areas that has continued to crumble, that we are making the investments that we need... for the long run. That is going to position us to be the most productive country in the globe,” said Graves. If you would like to listen to Michelle and Deputy Secretary Don Graves’ previous conversation on the American Rescue Plan, click here.