USA Maritime, Marad Respond to GAO Preference Report

USA Maritime Coalition has responded to the recent Government Accountability Office Report No. 15-666 “International Food Assistance:  Cargo Preference Increases Food Aid Shipping Costs and Benefits Are Unclear”, arguing that the report “paints a distorted picture because it only tells half the story.”  Since the report, as noted by USA Maritime, “fails to consider the USAID bulk food aid cargoes which are the most efficiently and economically transported food aid cargoes under the US-flag and make up most of the food aid shipped, the GAO’s conclusions regarding shipment costs are based upon faulty, cherry-picked information and are unreliable.” In a statement to the Government Accountability Office, the United States Maritime Administration told GAO that “Cargo preference is a pillar that ensures that America can activate and sustain a sealift fleet adequate to deploy and support the United States armed Forces anywhere in the world. . . This program, which benefits both the public and private sectors, is less of a burden on the taxpayer than other options to provide the same capability.” Both statements are below. USA Maritime Press Rebuttal of GAO Press Report (PDF) MARAD Letter in Support of Cargo Preference (PDF)