The 100-year-old law making everything more expensive

Many Latino families are struggling with rising grocery bills, rent, and gas prices. One reason costs are high is government regulations that make goods and services more expensive.

One prime example of this is the Jones Act, an outdated law that has made life less affordable for generations of Americans.

Supporters claim the law strengthens America’s shipbuilding industry and protects national security.

A century after being enacted, it has done neither.

Recently, President Trump temporarily suspended the law for 90 days. That’s a good start. But temporary relief is not enough.

It’s time to repeal the Jones Act for good.

What is the Jones Act, and why has it failed?

Enacted in 1920, the Jones Act requires that goods shipped between U.S. ports be transported on American-built, American-owned, American-flagged, and American-crewed vessels.

The Jones Act was enacted after World War I on the premise that America needed a strong domestic shipping industry in the event of war or a national emergency.

The law has become a costly government mandate that forces businesses to use a small number of expensive American ships instead of cheaper, more efficient alternatives.

And the numbers speak for themselves.

Today, the United States carries less than 2% of the world’s seafaring trade. America has fewer than 190 U.S.-flagged ships, and fewer than 100 fully comply with the Jones Act.

Meanwhile, much of the fleet is aging rapidly. Three out of four U.S. container ships are over 20 years old, and over 65% are more than 30 years old.

If the goal was to create a thriving shipping industry, the Jones Act clearly failed.

With a merchant marine of fewer than 190 ships, the Jones Act has been repeatedly waived by presidents during military conflict or natural disasters.

It was waived during World War II, the Korean War, the Gulf War, and during Hurricanes Katrina, Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

When an emergency strikes, America needs supplies delivered quickly and affordably, regardless of the flag on the ship.

If a law meant to bolster our national security needs to be waived every time America faces a national security crisis, then the law hasn’t done its job.

Making life more unaffordable

What the Jones Act has done is make life ever more unaffordable for Americans.

Shipping goods on Jones Act-compliant ships can cost nearly three times more than using foreign vessels. Those higher transportation costs are eventually passed on to consumers.

That means Americans end up paying more for everyday products, food, and construction materials.

Americans living outside the continental United States often get hit the hardest.

The law also makes energy less affordable.

Despite being one of the world’s largest producers of liquefied natural gas, the United States has almost no Jones Act-compliant LNG tankers available to move energy between American ports.

Incredibly, there is only one.

One.

That means parts of America sometimes struggle to access affordable domestic energy — even while the United States exports energy abroad.

More than a century after its passage, the Jones Act has failed to achieve its intended goals.

America doesn’t need a failed 100-year-old shipping law

The Jones Act hasn’t made America safer, nor has it beefed up our seafaring industry.

Instead, it has become a barrier to affordability and economic growth for Americans across the country.

Temporary suspensions may bring brief relief, but they do not address the underlying problem.

Americans are already paying enough at the grocery store, the gas pump, and on their utility bills.

Getting rid of a failed 100-year-old shipping law could provide some much-needed relief.

Sign this letter to your lawmaker and tell them to do their part to make life more affordable by tearing down red tape and regulations.