[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 159 (Friday, September 30, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1009-E1010]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF REBUILDING THE UNITED STATES-FLAG INTERNATIONAL FLEET 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN GARAMENDI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 30, 2022

  Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, today I introduce the bipartisan 
``Rebuilding the United States-Flag International Fleet Act,'' with 
Congressmen Gibbs (R-OH) and Lowenthal (D-CA).
  Our comprehensive legislation would help to recapitalize the U.S.-
flag international fleet of ocean-going, commercial vessels by 
guaranteeing government cargo during peacetime so that U.S.-flag 
vessels are available during wartime or emergencies. The United States 
has the world's most capable navy able to operate in all five oceans, 
and we need an equally impressive fleet of commercial cargo vessels 
crewed by American mariners.
  For too long, Congress and both Democratic and Republican presidents 
have allowed the commercial fleet of U.S.-flagged, ocean-going vessels 
to dwindle. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau 
of Transportation Statistics, the number of ocean-going U.S.-flagged 
vessels has declined more than 75 percent since 1985, following the 
1982 treaty called the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
  The global supply chain crunch during the height of the COVID-19 
pandemic, the Russian invasion and blockade of Ukraine, and the 
People's Republic of China's island building in the South China Sea and 
saber-rattling in the Taiwan Strait have shown that the United States 
cannot remain reliant on foreign vessels flying flags of convenience.
  The ``Rebuilding the United States-Flag International Fleet Act'' 
offers Congress the chance to enact the first comprehensive reform of 
cargo preference laws in decades. Our legislation incorporates 
recommendations for the Maritime Administration from the Government 
Accountability Office's report published on September 14, 2022, 
entitled ``Actions Needed to Enhance Cargo Preference Oversight.''
  Madam Speaker, I urge all members of the House to join us in 
cosponsoring this critical legislation to address this crisis facing 
the U.S.-flag international fleet.

[[Page E1010]]

  

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