Chairman Carbajal to Maritime Administration: More Must be Done to Ensure Cargo Preference Compliance
Washington,
November 16, 2022
Yesterday, Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, pushed the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to do more to encourage compliance with U.S. cargo preference laws. “We share a mutual goal of growing the United States-flag fleet and that begins with ensuring government compliance with existing cargo preference laws,” Chairman Carbajal said in his letter to MARAD. “I believe, however, that MARAD could be doing more to work towards more robust cargo preference compliance, especially when it comes to enforcement capabilities.” In his letter to Read Admiral Ann Phillips, the Administrator of MARAD, Carbajal urged MARAD to move forward with soliciting feedback from stakeholders to identify gaps in current regulations and commence with new rulemaking to ensure compliance with U.S. laws. The full letter can be found here. Chairman Carbajal and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on this topic in September, and heard testimony from the Government Accountability Office on their recent report recommending actions needed to bolster compliance to cargo preference laws. Carbajal’s letter urges MARAD to move forward with implementing GAO’s recommendations as soon as possible. More information on the September hearing can be found here.  |
