Trump cites shipping industry wishes in explaining why he hasn't waived the Jones Act for Puerto Rico

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

published 28 September 2017

A group of congressional Democrats and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) have asked the Trump administration to waive the Jones Act to speed up Puerto Rico's recovery from Hurricane Maria, arguing that the 1920 law — which requires all maritime traffic between U.S. ports to be on U.S.-built ships owned primarily by U.S. companies and staffed by a U.S. crew — is hindering relief efforts to the storm-damaged U.S. territory. The Homeland Security Department declined the request, but on Wednesday afternoon, President Trump said "we're thinking about" lifting the restrictions, as his administration had done after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma a few weeks ago. "But we have a lot of shippers and a lot of people ... who work in the shipping industry that don't want the Jones Act lifted."

Homeland Security Department officials said the department had determined that there are plenty of U.S.-flagged vessels available to carry goods to Puerto Rico, and that the Jones Act can't be waived for cost-saving reasons. The main shipping operators serving Puerto Rico — Crowley Maritime and TOTE Maritime — say they have delivered about 6,000 shipping containers to Puerto Rico since Saturday, mostly filled with relief supplies. "Adding foreign-flag capacity and taking out U.S. mariners who are doing this work would not help at all," Crowley senior vice president Michael Roberts told The Wall Street Journal.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.