Sen. John McCain has launched an attack on American jobs as he filed an amendment to a Keystone XL Pipeline bill that would repeal components of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, known as the Jones Act. The McCain amendment would repeal a requirement that vessels operating between U.S. ports be built in the U.S., which would effectively eliminate 400,000 U.S. jobs, reduce the GDP by $36 billion, and erase $24 billion in American workers’ compensation.
“In fact, the only parties that stand to benefit from this amendment are heavily subsidized foreign shipping competitors who are not subject to U.S. laws, regulations, environmental standards, and taxes,” said Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Dept., AFL-CIO.