46 U.S.C. § 109 — Foreign commerce or trade

(a) In general. In this title, "foreign commerce" and "foreign trade" mean commerce or trade between a place in the United States and a place in a foreign country. (b) Capital construction funds and construction-differential subsidies. For two specific programs — capital construction funds under chapter 535 of this title, and construction-differential subsidies under title V of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 — the terms "foreign commerce" and "foreign trade" mean something broader too. For liquid and dry bulk cargo carrying services, they also include trading between foreign ports, as long as it follows normal commercial bulk shipping practices. The point of this broader definition is to let U.S. bulk vessels compete freely with foreign bulk vessels for charters, subject to regulations set by the Secretary of Transportation.