On Thursday, President Trump temporarily waived the Jones Act for Puerto Rico in an effort to more quickly get relief supplies to the storm-battered island. Hours later, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) announced their plan to make that repeal permanent.
The Jones Act requires all maritime shipping between U.S. ports to be on American-owned and -operated ships. The 10-day waiver is aimed at facilitating hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico, after the devestation of Hurricane Maria. McCain and Lee have dubbed the nearly century-old bill outdated and are calling for its complete repeal:
In a statement, McCain called the Jones Act "an antiquated, protectionist law that has driven up costs and crippled Puerto Rico's economy." McCain first tried to repeal the act in 1998; he's now trying to make the case that a short-term exemption is "insufficient" to help Puerto Rico fully rebuild after Hurricane Maria.