Democratic Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard Says She Supports Jones Act, But Admits She Doesn’t Know How It Impacts Puerto Rico

Jun 11, 2019
1:16 PM

During a June 8 town hall campaign event in Manhattan, Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) was asked about the Jones Act and its impact on Puerto Rico’s economy, especially in a post-Hurricane María world. Recently, repeal of the Jones Act has gained some traction with Puerto Rican political advocacy groups who have asked for presidential candidates to state their positions on the Jones Act and other issues related to Puerto Rico.

As the video shows, Gabbard supports the Jones Act because of job opportunities and national security. The Hawaii Democrat, however, did admit that she did not know how the Jones Act impacts Puerto Rico.

As expected, her views about the Jones Act are being criticized.

Apparently, Gabbard might want to brush up on the politics of the Jones Act, even when it comes to Hawaii. And maybe Gabbard didn’t know that in 2014, state legislators from Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and Guam all met to see how the federal government could change the Jones Act? Or what about a new Senate bill that is calling for its repeal?