Congress moves to dismantle 100-year maritime labor protection

What it does

This bill repeals the Jones Act's restrictions on coastwise trade by removing requirements that vessels engaged in domestic maritime commerce be U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and U.S.-crewed. It allows foreign-built and foreign-owned vessels to obtain a coastwise endorsement if they meet U.S. safety and security standards, and directs the Coast Guard to issue implementing regulations within 90 days.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is the repeal of statutory restrictions on foreign vessel participation in U.S. coastwise trade. It is a deregulatory measure that opens a protected domestic maritime market to foreign competition by removing nationality and construction requirements.

What the text implies

• Repeal of Section 12132 (loss of coastwise trade privileges) removes the enforcement mechanism that previously penalized vessels for violating Jones Act rules, eliminating a deterrent to non-compliance.
• Conforming amendments to Sections 3703a, 12120, 12121, 12117, 14305, and 31329 systematically strip cross-references to the repealed restrictions, suggesting comprehensive deregulation rather than a narrow carve-out.
• The 90-day Coast Guard rulemaking window is tight and may result in minimal safety/security standards if the agency lacks resources or political pressure to impose rigorous requirements on foreign operators.
• No provisions address labor displacement, retraining, or transition assistance for U.S. maritime workers and shipyard employees whose jobs depend on the Jones Act's protections.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Consumers may benefit from lower shipping costs and increased competition in domestic maritime transport. However, U.S. maritime workers, shipbuilders, and domestic shipping companies face direct job losses and reduced market share, and the bill offers no transition support or labor protections for affected workers.

Who stands to gain

• foreign shipping companies and vessel operators
• foreign shipbuilders
• importers and exporters using domestic maritime routes
• consumers of goods transported via coastwise trade

Named in the bill

United States Coast Guard, Jones Act, 46 U.S.C. Section 12112, 46 U.S.C. Section 12132, U.S. maritime industry, foreign vessel operators

Where it stands

• Jun 12, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 12, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

4 lobbying clients named this bill on 7 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $1,870,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 20 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 72% of bills with at least one filing.

Tom McClintock, the sponsor, reported $165,376 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• National Restaurant Association — $790,000 on 1 filing
• Americans for Prosperity — $660,000 on 1 filing
• Agricultural Retailers Association — $420,000 on 2 filings
• Chamber of Shipping of America — $0 on 3 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 25, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.