WASHINGTON, DC – Matthew Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA)released a statement responding to an amendment to the House Puerto Rico Bill offered by Rep. Palmer (R-AL), slamming the political nature of Palmer’s amendment to spite U.S. jobs. “Given that the Jones Act and U.S. shipyard industry support more than 12,800 jobs and contributes over $953 million in GDP to the U.S. economy from Alabama alone, we are disappointed that Rep. Palmer seems to be more focused on political maneuvering than on protecting our nation’s domestic and economic security.  Exempting Puerto Rico from the Jones Act would do nothing to address island’s debt crisis and would actually jeopardize the more than $1 billion the U.S. maritime industry has invested in the Puerto Rican shipping trade, as well as the thousands of good-paying jobs on the island.” The Jones Act serves as the backbone of America’s national, homeland and economic security by prohibiting foreign vessels from freely moving in the coastwise trade.  Without the Jones Act, any foreign vessel could sail within the U.S. and transport hazardous or unknown materials, weakening our national defense. But an amendment to the Jones Act for the Commonwealth would also kill thousands of Puerto Rican jobs, devastating the local island economy even further.