Sponsors (8)
The bill gives the President and vessel owners tools to protect U.S. facilities and maintain some transit flexibility, but those steps risk significant supply-chain disruptions, added compliance burdens, and possible diplomatic fallout.
U.S. vessel owners and small shippers: can authorize transit through designated foreign facilities in emergencies or when owners permit, allowing continued operations and reducing immediate disruption to commerce.
U.S. taxpayers and owners of U.S. facilities abroad: the President may block use of foreign ports that effectively expropriate U.S. facilities, protecting U.S. property and commercial access.
State governments and affected businesses: requires the President to remove a port designation once ownership is restored or adequate compensation is provided, creating a clear remediation path for countries and operators impacted by a designation.
Transportation workers, small-business owners, and consumers: vessels that transited designated foreign facilities may be barred from U.S. ports, risking supply-chain disruptions, higher shipping costs, and delays that cascade to consumers.
Taxpayers and U.S. exporters/importers: presidential designation authority could be used as diplomatic leverage, potentially harming bilateral trade and increasing geopolitical tensions in the Western Hemisphere.
Vessel owners and operators, and transportation administrators: new designation rules, cross-references, and transit-authority conditions create additional compliance complexity and administrative costs for operators.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows the President to designate Western Hemisphere ports after expropriation of U.S.-owned maritime facilities and restricts U.S. port entry for vessels tied to designated facilities, with conditions for removal.
Introduced January 15, 2026 by August Pfluger · Last progress April 2, 2026
Amends U.S. law governing vessel entry to U.S. ports to both clarify when foreign vessels may enter and to give the President authority to designate foreign ports, harbors, or terminals in Western Hemisphere countries when those countries nationalize or expropriate U.S.-owned maritime facilities. Designation can trigger restrictions on U.S. port entry for vessels that used the designated foreign facility; the bill also sets conditions for removing a designation once the foreign government restores or compensates U.S. interests or otherwise resolves the dispute.