Official Summaries

American Cargo for American Ships Act

This bill requires 100% of equipment, materials, and commodities procured, furnished, or financed by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and transported on ocean vessels to be transported on U.S.-flagged commercial vessels. (Current cargo preference laws require that a minimum percentage of federally financed ocean cargo be transported on U.S.-flagged commercial vessels. For civilian agencies and agricultural cargo, the minimum is generally 50%.)

Specifically, the bill imposes the requirement on DOT (for cargo it contracts for or procures for itself) and recipients of DOT funding (for cargo DOT has financed with federal funds or advanced funds for the recipient to obtain). As under current cargo preference laws, the requirement applies to the extent those vessels are available at fair and reasonable rates for U.S.-flagged commercial vessels, in a manner that will ensure fair and reasonable participation of U.S.-flagged commercial vessels by geographic area. 

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2035 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2035


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 10, 2025

    Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To amend title 46, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
   Transportation to ensure that all cargoes procured, furnished, or 
    financed by the Department of Transportation are transported on 
privately-owned commercial vessels of the United States, and for other 
                               purposes.


 


    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``American Cargo for American Ships 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CARGOES PROCURED, FURNISHED, OR FINANCED BY UNITED STATES 
              GOVERNMENT.

    Section 55305 of title 46, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a) by striking ``When the United States 
        Government'' and inserting ``Except as provided in subsection 
        (c), when the United States Government'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (c) through (f) as 
        subsections (d) through (g), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Exception.--When the Department of Transportation procures, 
contracts for, or otherwise obtains for its own account, or provides 
financing in any way with Federal funds or advances funds or credits, 
for the furnishing or obtaining of the equipment, materials, or 
commodities, the Secretary of Transportation or recipient of such 
financing shall take steps necessary and practicable to ensure that 100 
percent of the gross tonnage of the equipment, materials, or 
commodities (computed separately for dry bulk carriers, dry cargo 
liners, and tankers) which may be transported on ocean vessels is 
transported on privately-owned commercial vessels of the United States, 
as provided under subsection (b), to the extent those vessels are 
available at fair and reasonable rates for commercial vessels of the 
United States, in a manner that will ensure a fair and reasonable 
participation of commercial vessels of the United States in those 
cargoes by geographic areas.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 9, 2025.

            Attest:

                                             KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

                                                                 Clerk.