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McCain Jones Act Repeal Legislation Threatens Our National and Economic Security

WASHINGTON, DC – Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), offers the following statement regarding Sen. John McCain’s legislation to abolish America’s domestic shipping statutes, known as The Jones Act:

“Sen. John McCain’s legislation to repeal The Jones Act would mean the elimination of hundreds of thousands of good jobs in maritime, longshore, ship building and other vital industries.  The McCain bill would threaten national security by depleting the pool of American vessels and skilled mariners who can be deployed during times of war and military conflict.  Moreover, only U.S.-flag vessels crewed by U.S. citizen mariners comply with the U.S. government imposed homeland security rules designed to protect the nation from maritime related terrorist threats.

“This legislation would open our waterways to foreign entities that don’t employ U.S. workers, don’t pay taxes to our treasury and do not operate under our safety and security regime.  And in addition to threatening at least a half-million jobs, the McCain bill would siphon up to $100 billion in total economic output from our already reeling national economy.

“Americans have grown weary of proposals in Washington that place political agendas over national interests.  The McCain bill should be rejected.”

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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 32 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit ttd.org.

Attached Document or File This press release on TTD letterhead