How Did The Jones Act Affect The Economy

The Jones Act was created after World War I. America was trying to deter German U-boats from destroying ships sense the war had just ended and Congress made the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 which is the same thing as the Jones Act. This insured that the country maintained a good industry for shipbuilding and seafaring labor force. Now, every ship must be built and owned by American citizens. A whole century later, there were no more U-boats and the Jones Act had a new purpose. But now, foreign ships or vessels that come into Puerto Rico must pay taxes and punitive tariffs. This is hurting the island’s economy. For example, from 1993 to 2010 there was a $17 billion loss to the island’s economy because of the Jones Act.

When hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, The Jones act still was in place. So, every boat that was made somewhere else, or was shipping from somewhere else to help had to

So, most vessels went to Jacksonville Florida, where a lot of goods can be transferred through an American boat and be shipped to Puerto Rico. All the help that was sent made Puerto Rico owe even more money unless it was made, crewed, and owned by our citizens. President Trump said that “Puerto Rico” was absolutely obliterated and that he issued a federal disaster declaration. But in order for the Jones act to stop killing Puerto Rico it needs to be suspended. We are lucky to live in the United States mainlands. Even though Puerto Rico‘s income is close to half of Mississippi’s, which is the poorest of all of the states, the price of living there is 13 percent higher than a lot of other urban areas in the United States. This is bad because the island is the fifth largest market on the planet for American products. A fun fact from The New York Times, is that Nelson A. Denis states that, “there are more Walmarts and Walgreens per square mile in Puerto