Transportation labor groups are lobbying against a bipartisan push to enable more foreign-flagged ships to carry US food aid exports.
Lawmakers in the House and the Senate are working to waive requirements that 50% of US food aid exports ship on US-flagged vessels amid disruption from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The effort is under attack from union and industry groups that say it’s unnecessary and would hurt US companies and mariners.
“When foreign flag shipping companies are currently making record profits amidst global supply chain disruptions, now is not the time to weaken critical policies that would come at the expense of American businesses and working families,” the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, and USA Maritime, a coalition of carriers and maritime union, wrote in a letter sent Tuesday to lawmakers.
The war in Ukraine has spurred lawmakers and the Biden administration to focus on aid and sanctions. Lawmakers say this resolution would address potential food shortages by reducing costs and hastening the delivery of assistance. The US flag merchant fleet has declined significantly over time, while the world fleet has grown, data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics show.
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Shipping containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles on Nov, 24, 2021, in San Pedro.
The resolution (H. Con. Res. 92) in the House would waive the 50% requirement until February 2025. The current law boosted…
