Florida Maritime Partnership Lauds Congressman Rutherford For Continued Support of the State’s Domestic Maritime Industry
JACKSONVILLE, April 30, 2019 – The Florida Maritime Partnership (FMP) today applauded Florida Congressman John Rutherford’s steadfast support of the Jones Act, a key law that protects American interests, national security and the domestic maritime industry.
Responding to reports that the White House is considering a waiver for the Jones Act, Congressman Rutherford, in an opinion article for The Hill, urged President Trump to reconsider.
“In 2016, President Trump won over the hearts and minds of Americans who were sick of yielding to foreign interests and wanted good jobs for hard-working Americans,” Congressman Rutherford wrote. “Since his election, the “America First’ agenda has produced unparalleled success, with unemployment at rock bottom, rising wages and more opportunities.’
Now, “President Trump’s rallying cry of “jobs, jobs, jobs!” is in stark contrast with any consideration to end the Jones Act.”
The Jones Act requires goods and passengers transported between two American ports to be carrying on vessels that are built, owned and flagged in the United States, and manned by American seamen.
“If the administration presses forward with a Jones Act waiver, it would kill thousands of jobs and encourage foreign companies to steal money from hard-working American families,”
Congressman Rutherford asserted. “This pillar of maritime policy is to credit for successfully protecting our maritime economy and our national security for nearly a century.”
Florida is the second most important maritime state in the nation and serves as the base for corporate headquarters, shipbuilding and repair facilities, mariners and labor organizations, seaports, military organizations, veterans and other stakeholders. A recently released PricewaterhouseCoopers jobs and economic study done for the Transportation Institute shows that the domestic maritime industry contributes about 66,000 jobs and $15 billion in economic impact to Florida.
“We want to thank Congressman Rutherford for his strong support of our nation’s and Florida’s domestic maritime industry,” said FMP Executive Director Shannan Schuessler. “FMP also supports the integrity of the legal framework for the industry – the Jones Act. The Jones Act has long been a bulwark of the domestic maritime industry and its vitality and a large component of our national security system.”
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About the Florida Maritime Partnership
The Florida Maritime Partnership (FMP) advocates for the state’s vibrant which represents 66,000 American jobs and total annual economic impact of $14.6 billion.
Our diverse membership include includes vessel owners and operators, shipboard and shoreside workers, shipbuilders and repair yards, equipment manufacturers and vendors, dredging and marine construction contractors, numerous maritime associations and national security organizations that all recognize a strong domestic maritime industry is critical for America’s economic, national, and homeland security, and is best supported by maintaining the Jones Act as the foundation of America’s domestic maritime policy. For more, visit floridamaritimepartnership.com.