(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden said his administration’s work has begun to alleviate supply-chain disruptions and that higher inflation is a “natural byproduct” of the global economy’s recovery from the pandemic.

The president, who’s been assailed by his political opponents over rising prices, again sought to reassure Americans that store shelves will be full for the holiday season and persuade them that his policies would build on the economy’s strong rebound.

“I can’t promise every person will get every gift they want on time. Only Santa Claus can keep that promise,” he said in a speech from the White House. But he noted that executives of large retailers have “reported that their shelves are well stocked and they are ready to meet consumer demand for the holidays.”

The president boasted of his administration’s efforts to relieve crowding at U.S. ports, where unprecedented consumer demand has led to long queues for ships and piles of containers full of goods. By prodding unions and port managers to “step up and cooperate more,” the ports have expanded operations and sped up the movement of goods, he said.

And he pointed to reports this week of accelerating prices in Europe and the U.K., in defense of his administration’s own efforts.

“This is a worldwide challenge, a natural byproduct of a world economy shut down by the pandemic as it comes back to life,” he said. “Even accounting for rising prices, the typical American family has more money in their pocket than they did last year, or the year before that.”

U.S. Consumer Price Index, an index that measures inflation in general, increased 6.2% from October 2020 to reach the highest annual rate since 1990. Rising prices are a result of companies passing on increased transportation and shipping costs to their customers.

Although many economists agree that the extraordinary inflation resulted from unprecedented consumer demand due to the pandemic, Republicans have blamed Biden for his economic policies.

‘Political Points’

Biden took a swipe at his political opponents, some of whom he said are “rooting” for inflation in the belief it’ll benefit their party in next year’s elections. Florida Senator Rick Scott, a Republican, told the Wall Street Journal that inflation is a “gold mine” for his party.

“I don’t want to speculate on anyone’s motive but it’s always easier to complain about a problem than to try to fix it,” Biden said.

“Imagine rooting for higher costs for American families just to score a few political points,” he said.

He said his $1.75 trillion “Build Back Better” legislation, which is stalled in Congress, would help families contend with inflation by reducing the costs of child and elderly care, “housing, college, health care and prescription drugs.”

“These are the biggest costs that most families face,” he said.

Biden has had to address this issue repeatedly in recent weeks, including on trips and speeches. He’s also sought to cast policies driven by the progressive wing of his party, including federal support for child care, expanded preschool and health insurance premiums, as inflation-fighting.

Biden hosted a roundtable on Monday with Walmart chief executive officers (NYSE:) Inc. Best Buy Co (NYSE:)., Food Lion, Samsung (KS:) North America, Qurate Retail Group (NASDAQ:) Inc., Todos Supermarket, Etsy (NASDAQ:) Inc. and CVS Health Corp (NYSE:). The White House delayed the statements to enable Biden to have more time with the CEOs.

Despite efforts to ease congestion, long delays continue at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which combine to handle 40% of the U.S.’s inbound containers. As of Tuesday, 49 container ships were anchoring off their coastlines. This is a marked improvement on the 80 that waited a few weeks back.

The decrease is due to a new queueing system that ships use, which keeps them further away from the coast, and slows down their progress across the Pacific Ocean. This was stated by James Kipling Louttit of Marine Exchange of Southern California (a non-profit involved in maritime traffic).

“All it does is move the parking lot,” he said.

Companies operating at the two California ports — which together are the nation’s busiest — have agreed to eliminate fees for shipping containers picked up at night and on weekends, instead of during peak hours. And one of the world’s biggest ocean carriers is offering as much as $200 per container in incentives for importers to help clear the ports’ backlog by retrieving their goods faster.

The ports have said they’re considering charging fines for containers that sit on the docks for too long, and that the threat of penalties has helped ease bottlenecks.

Biden Encourages Supply Chain Progress at Meeting with Retailers

Biden directed Jennifer Granholm, Energy Secretary, to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve last week in an attempt to reduce rising fuel costs. He also called on OPEC+ members to provide more supply over the long-term. Biden asked for the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation into possible illegal behavior in U.S. gasoline market.

“Gas supply companies are paying less and making a lot more. And they do not seem to be passing that on to the consumers at the pump,” he said during remarks on Nov. 23. “Instead, companies are pocketing the difference as profit.”

In a Monday blog posting, the White House used a similar tone.

“And with prices for shipping dropping 20% in November, retailers will hopefully be able to begin passing on those savings to consumers soon,” it said.

Polls show that a majority believe the country’s heading in the wrong way, despite lower unemployment and a growing economy under Biden.

Many of the supply-chain issues facing the U.S. are largely out of Biden’s control and the White House has acknowledged there isn’t a quick fix.

This includes the global shortage in semiconductors that continues to disrupt supply for electronics and cars. 

Although the White House is supportive of legislation that encourages domestic research and manufacture of chips, it has been stuck in Congress since months. And even after it passes, the impact would not be felt for years, making it a long-term solution that doesn’t help alleviate the immediate supply crunch.

Updates starting at the ninth paragraph.

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