Trump backed off shipping reform under political pressure,
former advisers claim
Washington Examiner,
by
Nihal Krishan
Original Article
Posted By: tisHimself,
7/12/2020 5:35:22 AM
President Trump bowed to political and industry pressure by abandoning reform of the controversial Jones Act shipping rule, according to officials who were present at the time and dislike the decision.
The dispute over the century-old law became a flashpoint in the bigger battle within the administration between the free trade contingent and those who want to protect domestic industries from foreign competition. The law requires goods shipped between American ports to be transported on ships built, owned, and operated by American citizens. To those in favor of reform, it's an antiquated barrier to the free flow of goods among countries that makes things more expensive
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Rob_NC 7/12/2020 6:49:34 AM (No. 475364)
I believe in Capitalism and free markets.But others countries have taken advantage of our industries and we must demand a level playing field.
America First
14 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
philsner 7/12/2020 7:59:39 AM (No. 475404)
Always be skeptical of "claims" made by "officials".
17 people like this.
LOTS of leaking coming from the Administration! Some rear ends need to be booted to the exits and out the door! Start with the Son-in-Law!
9 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Chuzzles 7/12/2020 9:34:57 AM (No. 475546)
Most shipping and ships are registered in other countries, thanks to our punishing tax codes against productive companies. I just cannot see how forcing goods on American operated ships only would work right now.
2 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 7/12/2020 10:47:04 AM (No. 475661)
Look for the hidden hand of 'Cocaine' Mitch McConnell in all of this.
7 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
MattMusson 7/12/2020 11:00:24 AM (No. 475671)
Because California refuses to build a pipeline to Texas - they continue to import Oil by Tanker from the Middle East.
They are unable to import oil from Texas because there are no American Flagged Tankers to do the job. Modifying
this rule would mean oil from the Southwest replacing MidEast Oil in California.
2 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
bad-hair 7/12/2020 11:16:28 AM (No. 475689)
Were it not for the Jones Act the US shipping industry, including US merchant captains down to deck hands would have passed decades ago to China, Japan, and probably Russia. We would not have US training for marine crews. Look at which countries have the largest most un-regulated international commercial fishing fleets.
MAGA
6 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
DVC 7/12/2020 11:26:32 AM (No. 475699)
Good political pressure, IMO.
Sorry of PR and NE have higher energy costs, too bad. We really DO need to preserve US shipbuilding capacity and this is the only way it will happen.
America first. America needs to protect Americans. When other countries ruthlessly subsidize their industries and we try to do "free trade" it is just like when the Russians and East Germans cheated massively in the Olympics for decades with professional athletes and we made sure our athletes were all amateurs, always struggling in lesser facilities, with lesser training, lesser, private everything.
America first - "free trade" means a level playing field. And the only way to level out the other countries' subsidies is by us having tariffs to equalize out their subsidies, or laws like the Jones Act.
Blind, stupid, ignorant, simple minded free trade is just stupid trade, just stick-your-head-in-the-sand-trade, dumb, loser, ship-those-jobs-overseas trade.
Only when everyone is under the same rules is free trade a good thing, and that is not happening in the real world today.
3 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Periwinkel 7/12/2020 11:56:55 AM (No. 475736)
That would be because Mitch McConnell's wife, the ever lovely Elaine Chau, is the daughter of a very important Chinese shipping magnate contracting with the ChiComs. Mrs. McConnell is also the Secretary of Transportation...hey, folks, isn't this a lovely Daisy Chain???
5 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
snowoutlaw 7/12/2020 12:08:39 PM (No. 475756)
Sounds like fake news to me. Trump probably wants to expand the Jones Act not abandon it. Maybe start small but every year increase the percentage working up to 50% of all goods shipped to US should comes on US ships.
3 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Trashcann 7/12/2020 2:34:48 PM (No. 475914)
The Jones act in many respects is bulletproof because it give protections to both the shipping industry and organized labor so neither party wants to end the goodies the get from it. The shipping industry puts up with the demands of the Merchant Marine union because they know they would cease to exist without the Jones act protection.
I used to work in the inland waterway barge shipping business and the Jones act keeps them from being bought out by the Chinese.
3 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
DVC 7/12/2020 4:45:20 PM (No. 476054)
#11. Long ago we sometimes water skiied in some of the narrow sections of the Inland Waterway in Virginia.
YIKES when a barge and tow boat came through! Pretty much filled up the waterway, not a lot of room to get clear, and the change in water levels was epic. Serious commerce on the Inland Waterways on the east coast back in the 50s and early 60s. Not around there much these days, maybe more or less, don't know.
0 people like this.
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