The Jones Act still sucks

[dead0man]

WashPo

President Biden faced growing pressure Monday to grant a federal waiver and allow a BP ship loaded with diesel fuel to access a port in Puerto Rico, where hundreds of thousands of hurricane-ravaged Americans remain without power.

Because the ship is not U.S.-owned, it has been idling off the island’s coast, awaiting a decision by the Biden administration on waiving the Jones Act, a century-old law backed by labor unions and key to the president’s “Made in America” agenda.

<snip>

White House officials said the Biden administration did not have the authority to simply suspend the Jones Act in Puerto Rico, citing a law passed by Congress in 2020 to crack down on broad waivers. Local officials said Biden had the power to issue one-time waivers that could still provide much-needed, temporary relief, but an administration official said that any exception would require careful consideration to ensure it is legal.

weird, he didn't worry about this stuff when forgiving $10k from people who made the mistake of going to college.  But now when a few brown people without representation are dying, "we have to be very careful with our temporary waivers of our stupid protectionist law forced on us by big labor"

Labor unions, which have been among Biden’s strongest supporters, have opposed efforts to weaken or waive the Jones Act, including after natural disasters.

The American Maritime Partnership — a coalition that represents operators of U.S.-flagged vessels and unions covered by the Jones Act — wrote a letter to Mayorkas on Friday explaining why the Jones Act should not be waived in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.

The group said that domestic vessels were ready and available to support the recovery effort in Puerto Rico, with more than 2,000 containers positioned in the port of San Juan to provide supplies before the storm. The group’s president, Ku’uhaku Park, said that U.S.-flagged ships are providing Puerto Rico with essential goods for its recovery, adding that waiving the Jones Act would benefit foreign shippers rather than Puerto Ricans.

“There is no indication that American shipping capacity is insufficient to meet demand, and, therefore, no justification for a waiver of the Jones Act,” he said.

Seth Harris, who until recently served as the top labor adviser at the White House, said granting waivers to foreign-flagged ships once they arrived could create a “gigantic loophole in the Jones Act,” because it is impossible to prove that American ships would not have been available after the cargo has already reached its destination.

For his part, Biden has repeatedly voiced his support for the act, often winning the praise of unions for speaking out in favor of a law that some Democrats and Republicans have called antiquated.

Five days after his inauguration, Biden signed an executive order to promote “Made in America” policies, citing the Jones Act as one such law. Under Biden’s executive order, waivers of the Jones Act must be reviewed by the White House’s “Made in America” office.

we don't care how much it harms poor people, we have to have our cut.


Also, I understand this is one of those topics red avs don't like to talk about because it forces them to chose rich white guys over poor brown people and they don't like to admit that publicly.

[dead0man]

the lack of snark from the usual suspects makes me think my snark was correct.

[Goldwater]

I actually didn't realize this law was a thing. Yeah, this is dumb.

[Joe Republic]

I actually didn't realize this law was a thing. Yeah, this is dumb.

Same, and same.  This is a good example of Hanlon's razor (but with ignorance rather than stupidity), so no need to act smug, dead0.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Has the CBO ever studied the impact that the Jones Act has on the overall US economy?

[dead0man]

someone in the Federal govt thinks being against the Jones Act is treason
Reason (so now you have an excuse to not pay attention!)

At least one member of a federal advisory panel thinks it's "treason" to oppose a law that protects the domestic shipping industry from foreign competition, even though the result of that law is higher prices for American consumers.

Documents that the Cato Institute obtained from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) through the Freedom of Information Act in October included a March 2019 set of recommendations from the Marine Transportation System National Advisory Committee, which includes industry and union representatives. Among other things, the document suggested that the government "charge all past and present members of the Cato and Mercatus Institutes [sic] with treason." Their crime: opposing continued enforcement of the Jones Act, a.k.a. the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, which requires that ships transporting cargo between U.S. ports be made, owned, and crewed by Americans.

For years, the Cato Institute and George Mason University's Mercatus Center have urged Congress to repeal the Jones Act, which raises the cost of goods shipped to distant parts of the United States, such as Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. The law also slows recovery from hurricanes, leaving residents without fuel, food, and other vital goods. But domestic shipping industry magnates and unions have the ear of lawmakers and, it turns out, the government agency that is supposed to oversee them.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

The White House should ignore this completely. Let the judiciary, regulatory authorities, and congress be in the position of preventing recovery from hurricanes.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

The overall impact of the Jones Act is considerable and limiting one's field of view to "so this is how this law impacts Puerto Rico, how dumb" is hilariously narrow-minded. Repealing the Jones Act would have a wide range of impacts on many places - Puerto Rico is a very tiny part of the puzzle.

[dead0man]

The overall impact of the Jones Act is considerable and limiting one's field of view to "so this is how this law impacts Puerto Rico, how dumb" is hilariously narrow-minded. Repealing the Jones Act would have a wide range of impacts on many places - Puerto Rico is a very tiny part of the puzzle.

indeed, it also screws over people in Hawaii, Alaska and other US territories too.  But at least the voters in Hawaii and Alaska have a tiny bit of say in the matter.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

The overall impact of the Jones Act is considerable and limiting one's field of view to "so this is how this law impacts Puerto Rico, how dumb" is hilariously narrow-minded. Repealing the Jones Act would have a wide range of impacts on many places - Puerto Rico is a very tiny part of the puzzle.

indeed, it also screws over people in Hawaii, Alaska and other US territories too.  But at least the voters in Hawaii and Alaska have a tiny bit of say in the matter.

Not to make any broader judgement on the law's merit or lack thereof (it's a fairly typical port protectionism law and many countries seem to have similar laws), it's hugely misinformed to look at it as a "hurt Puerto Rico law" as opposed to a "port protectionism law". The way the media talks about this law doesn't help matters; they only really seem to care about bringing it up for easy outrage points whenever hurricanes Puerto Rico every few years.
In any case, from what reading I've done, the Jones Act has not really succeeded at what it tries to do.

[dead0man]

The overall impact of the Jones Act is considerable and limiting one's field of view to "so this is how this law impacts Puerto Rico, how dumb" is hilariously narrow-minded. Repealing the Jones Act would have a wide range of impacts on many places - Puerto Rico is a very tiny part of the puzzle.

indeed, it also screws over people in Hawaii, Alaska and other US territories too.  But at least the voters in Hawaii and Alaska have a tiny bit of say in the matter.

Not to make any broader judgement on the law's merit or lack thereof (it's a fairly typical port protectionism law and many countries seem to have similar laws), it's hugely misinformed to look at it as a "hurt Puerto Rico law" as opposed to a "port protectionism law".

yes, the problem with the law is that it's protectionist.  The negative aspects of it manifests itself onto Puerto Ricans (and to every other American that lives outside of CONUS).

The way the media talks about this law doesn't help matters; they only really seem to care about bringing it up for easy outrage points whenever hurricanes Puerto Rico every few years.

yes, it would be nice if they bitched about it all the time, but that would be asking a lot of our garbage media.

In any case, from what reading I've done, the Jones Act has not really succeeded at what it tries to do.

indeed, it killed our shipbuilding industry (or rather, put it in a permanent coma), there is no way American shipbuilders could be competitive on the world stage now.  Just another reason for it to die.

[Del Tachi]

I’ll go on record as supporting the Jones Act

[SteveRogers]

I’ll go on record as supporting the Jones Act

Do you also support the colonial practice of denying the territory whose economy is most affected by the act any representation in the government that enforced the act?

[Del Tachi]

I’ll go on record as supporting the Jones Act

Do you also support the colonial practice of denying the territory whose economy is most affected by the act any representation in the government that enforced the act?

Yes.

[SteveRogers]

I’ll go on record as supporting the Jones Act

Do you also support the colonial practice of denying the territory whose economy is most affected by the act any representation in the government that enforced the act?

Yes.

Why?

[Del Tachi]

I’ll go on record as supporting the Jones Act

Do you also support the colonial practice of denying the territory whose economy is most affected by the act any representation in the government that enforced the act?

Yes.

Why?

FWIW, I think Puerto Rico and all U.S. territories should have voting representation in the House commensurate with their populations.

I support the Jones Act for national security reasons.  We do not want foreign vessels with foreign crews operating in domestic waters.

[Dr. Arch]

I’ll go on record as supporting the Jones Act

Do you also support the colonial practice of denying the territory whose economy is most affected by the act any representation in the government that enforced the act?

Yes.

Why?

FWIW, I think Puerto Rico and all U.S. territories should have voting representation in the House commensurate with their populations.

I support the Jones Act for national security reasons.  We do not want foreign vessels with foreign crews operating in domestic waters.

Then the Federal government can simply waive a double import tax/costs on all goods coming in via ports. As it is, the Jones Act is unacceptable purely for the economic damage being inflicted on Americans living in areas affected by it. It is not a civilian's duty to directly cover the added costs for national security purposes merely because of where they live.

[Make America Grumpy Again]

The White House should ignore this completely

Doing this would legitimize Trump's calls for suspending the Constitution and practically create a type of anarchy where lawmakers can pick and choose which laws to obey. Sets a terrible precedent

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

The White House should ignore this completely

Doing this would legitimize Trump's calls for suspending the Constitution and practically create a type of anarchy where lawmakers can pick and choose which laws to obey. Sets a terrible precedent

Suspending the constitution to declare oneself POTUS vs giving food aid to Puerto Rico are two different things. Most Americans don't even know the Jones Act exists.

[Benjamin Frank]

Hrm, I thought Representative Don Young got the Jones Act repealed.

[Bakersfield Uber Alles]

The overall impact of the Jones Act is considerable and limiting one's field of view to "so this is how this law impacts Puerto Rico, how dumb" is hilariously narrow-minded. Repealing the Jones Act would have a wide range of impacts on many places - Puerto Rico is a very tiny part of the puzzle.

indeed, it also screws over people in Hawaii, Alaska and other US territories too.  But at least the voters in Hawaii and Alaska have a tiny bit of say in the matter.

Yes, at the very least, it should be modified to not include the non-contiguous states and territories.