Hey Scott,

Thanks for your thoughtful post. The relationship between U.S.-flagged ships and maritime unions is pretty straightforward - American ships are almost entirely manned by unionized sailors. These unions support cargo preference laws that require U.S.-flagged vessels to carry a certain percentage of all federal shipments. This has the perverse effect of limiting the pool of ships available for transporting foreign aid. Although our cargo preference laws are great for maritime unions, they prevent us from responding quickly to developing food shortages.