The Jones Act: America's $333M Shipping Problem

The Jones Act has been messing with American shipping for over a century, driving up costs, stifling competition, and forcing bizarre workarounds, like Hawaii importing oil from Africa instead of Texas. Chuck sits down with Colin Grabow from the Cato Institute to break down how this outdated law makes everything from groceries to gas more expensive, why it costs a mind-blowing $333M to build a U.S. ship when the same one costs $55M overseas, and what can actually be done about it. If you like policy takedowns with a side of sarcasm, this one’s for you.

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00:00 - What is the Jones Act
05:54 - History of the US Shipping Industry
10:32 - Impact of the Jones Act on Hawaii
14:47 - Momentum for Change
17:55 - Matt’s Celebrity Concert Idea
20:00 - Moving Natural Gas
22:21 - How to Fix the Jones Act
26:58 - Influencing Trump's Decisions
28:35 - Trump's Executive Order
30:39 - The American Maritime Partnership
31:06 - The Jones Act is a Failure
33:20 - Addressing Jones Act Stakeholders
40:00 - Wrapping Up
42:40 - Latest Insights
43:48 - Cato Institute

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The Jones Act: America's $333M Shipping Problem