President Donald Trump blamed people “ in the shipping industry ” for not wanting the Jones Act to be waived in order to bring more emergency help and supplies to those in Puerto Rico suffering from the ravages of Hurricane Maria, as reported by the Washington Post . Now Sarah Sanders has announced via Twitter, as seen in the below tweet that was published to Twitter on Thursday, September 28, that Trump has waived the Jones Act for Puerto Rico. Trump was placed under a great amount of international pressure and a direct request from Puerto Rico’s governor to allow ships to pass freely without the rules of the maritime law.
Even celebrities like Rihanna stepped into the fray, with Rihanna directly tweeting at Trump’s Twitter account on Thursday morning. As seen in the below tweet, Rihanna retweeted the cover of a magazine that noted the lack of food, water, power and medical care in the “American tragedy” that directly called out for “Mr. President” to act. Sanders’ tweet about the Jones Act noted that it would go into effect immediately. Plenty of the responses to Sarah’s tweet are asking Sanders why it took so long for President Trump to waive the Jones Act.
At @ricardorossello request, @POTUS has authorized the Jones Act be waived for Puerto Rico. It will go into effect immediately.
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) September 28, 2017
Dear @realDonaldTrump I know you’ve probably already seen this, but I just wanted to make sure! Don’t let your people die like this. pic.twitter.com/mDO848JAUx
— Rihanna (@rihanna) September 28, 2017
Now that the Jones Act has been lifted, it isn’t clear how long it will take more help to arrive in Puerto Rico. According to CNN , the fitness of the shipping docks needs to be assessed and any required repairs be made. The ports and docks in Puerto Rico have to be safe for the ships to dock in ports in Puerto Rico. Giving relief to Puerto Rico is also not as simple dropping supplies from helicopters into the country, either.
Service personnel also needs to be made available to distribute the supplies sitting in 3,000 cargo containers that are waiting to be distributed to people in need in San Juan and beyond. Distribution centers can be the hub from which the much-needed supplies are passed out to folks who need the help. Private citizens are helping others in need in Puerto Rico as the perception of the Trump administration dragging its feet to help Puerto Rico grows online.
Today Adventure of the Seas will dock in Puerto Rico, the first stop in a series of three to drop off relief supplies & pick up evacuees. https://t.co/u8XyQ9rAwk
— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) September 27, 2017
Under pressure, Trump waives Jones Act for Puerto Rico relief
[Featured Image by Michael Conroy/AP Images]
