White House walks back Biden vow to use National Guard to untangle supply chain
The White House it is 'not actively pursuing the use of the National Guard on a federal level'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A White House official pushed back against President Biden's claim Thursday that he would be willing to use the National Guard to help handle the country's supply chain crisis.
Anderson Cooper asked Biden during a CNN presidential town hall if he would consider having the people serving in the National Guard drive trucks to make up for the lack of truckers.
Biden said he would, and that he also had a timetable to solve the crisis.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Shoppers in a Washington, D.C., suburb reacted to surging grocery prices amid supply-chain bottlenecks and rising inflation. (Fox News)
"I had a timetable for, first of all, I want to get the ports up and running," Biden said, claiming he had commitments from Walmart and other companies.
When Cooper asked for further clarification on whether Biden would want the National Guard to drive trucks, the president said, "The answer is yes, if we can’t move to increase the number of truckers, which we’re in the process of doing."
After Biden's comments, a White House official told CNN: "Requesting the use of the National Guard at the state level is under the purview of governors, and we are not actively pursuing the use of the National Guard on a federal level."
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Top GOP House leaders and 160 lawmakers called on Biden on Wednesday to fix the U.S. supply chain crisis or face a doomed holiday season.
Guardsmen continuing to stage MREs, water and supersacks of sand in preparation to respond to the citizens of Louisiana after Hurricane Ida makes landfall. Multiple Guardsmen were injured during a multi-vehicle wreck in Mississippi on their way to Louisiana to assist with relief efforts. (LA National Guard)
In a letter to the president first obtained by Fox News, the Republicans asked that Biden reverse his policies relating to the coronavirus they believe have disrupted U.S. infrastructure abilities and supply chains.
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"We request that you stop the litany of harmful regulatory actions that are driving up energy costs and to stop attacking the American businesses with vaccine mandates, taxation and government handouts that are disincentivizing work," Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., who led the letter to Biden, said.
Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.