Trump Finally Waives the Jones Act to Help Puerto Rico

After much controversy, President Trump on Thursday morning finally authorized that a century-old shipping law be waived in order to expedite the delivery of critical supplies to Puerto Rico. The Jones Act requires that all goods shipped between U.S. ports must be carried on ships built, owned, and operated by Americans. Trump initially expressed hesitance to waive the rule, “We have a lot of shippers and a lot of people that work in the shipping industry that don’t want the Jones Act lifted.” On Thursday morning, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Twitter: “At [Puerto Rican governor] @ricardorossello request, @POTUS has authorized the Jones Act be waived for Puerto Rico. It will go into effect immediately.”