Brief Jones Act waiver isn’t enough to help Puerto Rico

We support the removal of governmental impediments to free trade.

Puerto Rico is struggling to regain its footing after a disastrous hurricane, but it’s expensive to ship necessary supplies thanks in large part to the Jones Act, a piece of protectionist legislation left over from nearly a century ago that prohibits foreign ships from carrying cargo from one U.S. port to another and keeps shipping prices artificially high. President Donald Trump has suspended the Jones Act for 10 days, but that’s only a tiny form of relief, insists Libertarian National Committee Chair Nicholas Sarwark in a new interview for the Sirius XM radio show Patriot Tonight.

In the interview, Sarwark discusses the economic and humanitarian problems that the Jones Act causes, and why he thinks a full repeal is necessary — not just for Puerto Rico today, but for everybody in the United States to benefit from lower shipping and retail prices.

A snippet of the interview that lasts for one minute and 11 seconds can be heard for free. Those who would like to hear the entire interview can sign up for a free trial to Sirius XM.