NEW: To Revitalize American Shipbuilding, We Must DOGE the Jones Act Back in April, Trump signed an executive order aiming to rebuild America’s domestic maritime industries and workforce. The EO didn’t mince words about our current shipbuilding capabilities — today, just 0.2% of the world’s ships are built in the U.S., while China builds 74%. The only problem with the order? It avoided the elephant in the room: an old piece of legislation dubbed the “Merchant Marine Act of 1920,” colloquially known as the Jones Act. This legislation was originally architected to jumpstart domestic shipbuilding by mandating that any cargo shipped between two U.S. ports must travel on a vessel built in America, owned by Americans, and crewed by Americans. Supporters (like Pete Buttigieg cosplaying as a logistics expert...) argue the Act is essential for economic stability and national security. But these arguments overlook the facts: the U.S. has just 124 active shipyards, not to mention other hurdles like unionized labor and suffocating regulations. Meanwhile, repealing the Jones Act could increase U.S. economic output by as much as $135 billion. Today for Pirate Wires, @timjeke0 lays out the case for why we must “DOGE” this 1920s law if we really want to bolster our maritime industry. Link threaded 👇