Jones act repeal would kill the American shipping industry overnight. All Americans would be driven out by foreign companies with foreign made equipment. Jones Act is bad policy but would cause billions of dOllars of US investment to bE jEopardized if suddenly repealed. If done in a way that is phased and/or mindful of domestic interests, it could help spur some growth in the industry. That said, the effect of Jones Act is complex and has many American livelihoods tied to it. Mine included.
The Jones Act also inhibits job creation in the US. Several Indian reservations located in coastal areas of Washington State, for example, contain world-class aggregate deposits. Those deposits will probably never be commercially developed, because the Jones Act would make operating costs for transport by barge or ship absolutely non-competitive. Comparable Canadian aggregate sources located just north of the US border can be (and have been) developed, because American ships and crews are not required to transport Canadian aggregate. End result - Canadian aggregate gets shipped all the way to California (and beyond), and the Canadians get the jobs and the income...