These GOP senators want to exempt Puerto Rico from the Jones Act for good

Sen. John McCain.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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 McCain and Lee have dubbed the nearly century-old bill outdated and are calling for its complete repeal:

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.