When one of the nation’s most influential economics podcasts decided to tackle the Jones Act for the first time, Transportation Institute was there to make the case.
The debate
Bloomberg’s Odd Lots, hosted by Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, recorded the episode in front of a packed live audience at the Miracle Theatre in Washington, DC. TI Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Fuentes took the stage to defend America’s foundational maritime law opposite a critic from the Cato Institute, which has long argued against it.
Fuentes grounded her case in the three pillars TI has championed for decades: economic security, national security, and homeland security. The Jones Act supports 650,000 American jobs. It guarantees dependable service to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and other communities that rely on ocean shipping for daily life. It sustains the shipbuilding industrial base the nation would need in any crisis. And it delivers something markets quietly depend on: stability, with every carrier playing by the same rules and every shipment showing up when promised.
She also addressed the elephant in the global shipyard. China has made a strategic decision to massively subsidize its own maritime sector and undercut world prices, and without the Jones Act, American shipbuilding would be left to compete alone against state-backed predatory pricing.
Why this moment matters
The Jones Act is often debated inside the maritime world. This was different: a mainstream economics audience, a skeptical counterpart, and a live crowd. As Fuentes noted, the law has stayed popular with Republicans, Democrats, and the U.S. military alike, and that endurance reflects what it delivers. We are glad the Odd Lots audience got to hear why, and we encourage you to listen to the full episode.
Listen to the full Odd Lots episode on your preferred platform:
Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/audio/2025-03-20/odd-lots-the-great-jones-act-debate-podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0raDy5WglMHQhkCsZNuGgJ
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-great-jones-act-debate/id1056200096?i=1000700074760
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qqy7NxwtEA
iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1308-odd-lots-30972803/episode/the-great-jones-act-debate-270605277/
Read the full recap from American Maritime Voices, shared by the Seafarers International Union: https://www.seafarers.org/podcast-reinforces-vital-importance-of-jones-act/