Following reports that Donald Trump is considering waiving the Jones Act requirement that only US-flagged vessels can move LNG from American ports to Puerto Rico, a Republican US senator on Wednesday said the US President will eventually not waive these rules.
The Jones Act is a nearly 100-year-old federal law requiring goods shipped between US ports to be transported on ships that are built, owned, and operated by US citizens or permanent residents. It is also known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920.
Reports by Bloomberg in late April mentioned that, while top administration officials seemed to be divided on the issue during a round office meeting, the US President was leaning in favor of some sort of waiver.
However, Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican was quoted as saying by Reuters Wednesday that Trump told Republican lawmakers ‘he was going to oppose any changes to the Jones Act and any waivers’.
He added that Trump gave his word to lawmakers, which included Republicans from Alaska and Mississippi as well.
Another relevant person told Reuters Tuesday that administration officials were divided on the issue.
Additionally, another Senator, John Kennedy said in a statement the Jones Act supports 71,000 jobs in the state:
After talking to President Trump, I am confident that he realizes how important the Jones Act is to Louisiana’s maritime industry and that no changes will be made. It would be foolish to push aside those jobs in favor of foreign-made and foreign-crewed ships.
