President Trump said Wednesday that he is considering lifting the Jones Act to allow foreign-flagged vessels to serve Puerto Rico as it recovers from Hurricane Maria, although the shipping industry is lobbying against it.
“A lot of people that work in the shipping industry … don’t want the Jones Act lifted,” Trump told reporters. “We have a lot of ships out there right now.”
The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it would not lift the Jones Act for Puerto Rico, as it did for Texas and Florida after recent hurricanes because there are enough U.S.-flagged vessels to meet the demand for fuel and other crucial supplies.
Enacted in 1920, the Jones Act prohibits tankers from hauling crude oil between U.S. ports unless those vessels are American-made, flagged and manned by a crew that is made up of 75 percent U.S. citizens.
Democratic lawmakers were joined by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Tuesday in urging DHS to reconsider its decision.
“I am very concerned by the department’s decision not to waive the Jones Act for current relief efforts in Puerto Rico, which is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis following Hurricane Maria,” McCain wrote in a letter to Elaine Duke, acting DHS secretary. “It is unacceptable to force the people of Puerto Rico to pay at least twice as much for food, clean drinking water, supplies and infrastructure due to Jones Act requirements as they work to recover from this disaster.”
McCain has long called for a repeal of the law, but the Jones Act enjoys strong support in Congress, especially among representatives of states with ports and strong shipping industries.
The shipping industry, anchored by the Shipbuilders Council of America, holds strong sway among lawmakers and has resisted changes to the law.
Indeed, Matthew Paxton, the president of the shipbuilders’ council, previously told the Washington Examiner that he did not consider waivers of the Jones Act to be “necessary” for Texas and Florida as they battled Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
