Opinion: Jones Act reform need not be all-or-nothing
“The tugs and barges in the U.S. river system no doubt play a critical role in ensuring a reliable supply chain, creating good paying jobs, and growing local economies. But they aren’t the kind of ships the law was meant to protect,” says guest columnist Jonathan Helton. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Jonathan Helton
Jonathan Helton is a research associate with the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and a 2022 summa cum laude graduate of Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in law and politics.
“The Jones Act was not intended to protect jobs. It was to ensure a fleet of reliable, commercial oceangoing ships that could serve in times of war or emergency,” says guest columnist Jonathan Helton.
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