Trump extends Jones Act waiver 90 days for foreign ships moving energy, fertilizers
President Donald Trump has extended for 90 days a waiver allowing foreign-flagged ships to transport oil and other commodities between U.S. ports, while imposing new limits after shipbuilders and allies in Congress argued it was hurting the domestic maritime industry, the White House said.
The extension, finalized Monday, comes as the war with Iran disrupts global crude flows and raises fuel costs, increasing pressure on the administration to ease transportation bottlenecks and prevent further increases in gasoline and energy prices.
The 90-day extension ensures the U.S. military and key industries have uninterrupted access to critical resources, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. She said data shows the waiver has significantly increased domestic deliveries of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Under the new terms, individual voyages must undergo case-by-case review instead of allowing foreign ships blanket exemptions from the Jones Act, a White House official confirmed.
The Jones Act requires cargo moved between U.S. ports to be carried on ships built in the U.S., owned by U.S. companies and crewed by American workers. The waiver aims to lower gas prices by increasing shipping flexibility and reducing bottlenecks.
The waiver was set to expire Aug. 16. Its extension is the longest suspension of the more than century-old law in its history.
