At last — thanks to Trump and the US Congress — super-yacht owners can rejoice!
While deadlines for re-uniting refugee-immigrant children with their parents continue to be missed and unfinished business piles up in the US Congress, Republicans in Congress still manage to serve up some goodies to a certain type of constituent: one-percenters. Tucked away in the John S. McCain Defense Authorization Act of 2019 that President Trump signed on August 13th was the decidedly non-defense provision “adjusting” shipping registration regulations for the benefit of super-yacht owners.
Super Yacht News reports: On 13 August, 2018, Donald Trump, president of the United States (US), signed off on a piece of legislation that would make it possible for yachts over 300gt [gross tons] to fly an American flag and register their yachts in the US.
Super yachts are essentially a kind of ocean-going tribute to worldwide income inequality. For example, the Cayman Island-flagged Octopus, owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, is 414-feet long (and well over 300 gt at 9,932 gt) and has 41 suites, a pool, two helicopters, a basketball court, and a recording studio.
Until the new provision takes effect, vessels exceeding 300 gross tons (gt) were required to meet commercial operational standards, or they could not register as an American vessel — nor fly an American flag. Until a new code specifically for large yachts is ready in 2020, yachts of this size can now fly the US flag under the law Trump signed. Exemptions were available, but according to Super Yacht News, obtaining them was “both expensive and arduous” for the mega-wealthy yacht owners. Maybe now, with these changes, Trump’s Secretary of Education Betsy DeVoss can get her family to change the flag on their Cayman Island-registered 164-foot yacht, The Seaquest.
There is no doubt the one percenters didn’t beg and cajole very hard for this special legislative treat: only after a ten-year slog of lobbying and targeting members in congress did the U.S. Super Yacht Association (USSA) finally succeed.
In 2014 the USSA hoped to ease certain US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) “small vessel” cruising regulations that require personally reporting in to customs and border authorities while in U.S. waters. The mega-rich yacht owners want to avoid regulations that may cramp their privileged lifestyle. US super-yacht owners will be able to fly an American flag — now that the flag also proves convenient in helping them avoid border-patrol and customs scrutiny. Notice that USSA president Kitty McGowan calls the new law the “icing on the cake.”
The recent favorable legislation, according to McGowan, was made possible in large part by lobbying efforts of large yacht owner Tilman J. Fertitta of Texas. Fertitta, for those who may not know, is star of the TV show Billion Dollar Buyer, and sole owner of Landry’s Restaurants and the Houston Rockets.He is also a longtime fan of President Trump and thinks Donald is doing a great job.
Quoted in gcaptain.com, Fertitta remarked: “For at least a half century, ridiculous regulations prohibited American citizens from displaying their patriotism by flying an American flag on their yacht. […] Thank you to all those that made this possible and to President Trump for eliminating over 50 years of bureaucratic red tape. This is truly an historic day for American yacht owners and the yachting industry.” The country — canoeists, rowboaters, lobster harvesters, shrimpers, sailors, and pleasure- and working-boat owners of all kinds and sizes (not to mention the vast majority of inland and coastal non-boat owners) — can breath a sigh of relief for Fertitta and his wealthy buddies that the super yacht owners are free at last from red tape. Now what say Congress do something positive about Medicare for all ?
Say what you will about Trump and his GOP-controlled Congress, even though immigration reform remains unresolved, gun legislation and almost everything else meaningful seems to languish by design, they always find time to serve up thoughtful little treats to their one percenters.
And for the rest of us? well maybe …