On Friday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “Wake Up America,” Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) said that not only should there be a waiver to the Jones Act — which requires goods shipped between American ports be transported on American ships — issued by President Trump, but also “we should have gotten rid of the Jones Act a long time ago.”
Co-host Sharla McBride asked, “I’d also like to ask you about President Trump looking to waive the Jones Act for a limited period of time to help curb rising gas prices. And for those at home that don’t know, the Jones Act is a century-old law requiring goods shipped between American ports to be [shipped] on ships built, owned, and operated right here in the U.S., just want to get your thoughts on that move.”
Perry answered, “Well, I support the President’s move. As a matter of fact, we should have gotten rid of the Jones Act a long time ago. America should be building ships. But, unfortunately, because of the regulatory environment and the labor — the organized labor environment in the United States, we don’t build the ships. So, literally, we have to use foreign-flagged ships to move our own goods.”
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