The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation held a hearing Wednesday on “The State of the U.S. Flag Maritime Industry” during which congressional and maritime leaders stressed the importance of the Jones Act.

The Committee and those testifying expressed bipartisan support for the Jones Act and enforcement of the law.

Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), said “In order for us to maintain the way of life as we know it as a nation that is secure and is able to project power, be it Navy power or commercial power, the Jones Act is intrinsic to that. It is the cornerstone of all of them…the absurdity to have Korean or Chinese or name your country made ships take away the entire American workforce of making ships and driving them and getting something from point A to point B in America…its absurd and I hope that we keep educating…so that people understand how [the Jones Act] is one of the cornerstones of our entire country’s national security apparatus.”

Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), stated “First and foremost, we cannot become complacent in our defense of the Jones Act and our efforts… to raise public awareness of the need for, and the many benefits that flow, from this long-standing maritime policy that has stood for nearly a century.”

“[American] mariners are a de facto layer of our national security. If they see something, they will say something. They know what is normal on the waterways,” explained Admiral Mark H. Buzby, Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD).

More at the American Journal of Transportation