U.S. Rep. Charles Djou is calling on President Barack Obama to waive a 90-year-old law so foreign ships can help respond to the huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The statute, known as the Jones Act, requires vessels transporting goods between states to have been built in the United States, be crewed and owned by U.S. citizens, and fly the U.S. flag.

Djou says it has blocked vessels from Mexico, Canada and Belgium from assisting in the cleanup.

A Republican, Djou opposes the statute because he contends it results in higher prices for Hawaii consumers.

Most of Hawaii’s political leaders support it, as do the two companies that control shipping between Hawaii and the mainland, Matson Navigation Company and Horizon Lines Inc.