Washington • Sens. Mike Lee and John McCain introduced legislation Thursday that would permanently exempt Puerto Rico from a nearly century-old law that requires goods shipped between U.S. ports be carried by American-owned and operated vessels.
In the wake of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the U.S. territory in the Caribbean, President Donald Trump waived the Jones Act for the island for 10 days, but Lee and McCain say the exemption should be made permanent so Puerto Rico can rebuild and flourish.
The 1920 law was intended to shore up the maritime industry at the time but has been criticized by Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska as driving up costs. Lee and McCain said in a news release that shipping costs have been “estimated to be twice as much as from neighboring foreign islands.”
“The Jones Act is just another example of a federal regulation that harms American consumers, gives foreign corporations an edge over American businesses, and makes disaster response harder,” Lee said in a statement. “It is far past time to repeal it.”
Trump’s waiver allows foreign ships to bring goods to Puerto Rico, which has been running out of clean water, food, medical supplies and other necessities in the aftermath of the hurricane. The island reportedly could be without a functioning electrical grid for months.