Washington, DC — The Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO, applauds the Trump Administration for its strong defense of the Jones Act and the January 20 court decision upholding this vital law that protects America’s maritime industry, national security, and tens of thousands of good union jobs.
The court rightly reaffirmed that the Jones Act is a constitutional exercise of Congress’s authority to regulate commerce and maintain a robust American merchant marine. For more than a century, the Jones Act has ensured that domestic shipping is carried out by U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and U.S.-crewed vessels—strengthening our industrial base, sustaining middle-class jobs, and guaranteeing that the United States retains the maritime capacity needed in times of war, disaster, and national emergency.
The decision also makes clear that attacks on the Jones Act are not grounded in constitutional law, but in a desire to weaken labor standards and outsource American maritime work to low-wage foreign operators. The court recognized that the law applies uniformly across the country and serves legitimate national interests, not special preferences for any state or region.
We commend the Administration for standing firm against efforts to dismantle one of the most important worker-protection and national security laws on the books. Defending the Jones Act means defending American shipyards, American mariners, and American supply chains—and the ruling is a clear victory for working people and for the future of U.S. maritime strength.
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