Jones Act

Shipping Thrived After Trump Waived the Jones Act

Perhaps it's time to scuttle the law once and for all.

Joe Lancaster | 7.6.2026 5:45 PM

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When the U.S. launched a war against Iran in February, it sent the prices of goods like fuel and fertilizer skyrocketing.

Hoping to remediate the damage, President Donald Trump issued a waiver of Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. Better known as the Jones Act, the statute says cargo moving between American ports must be carried on a ship that was built in America, with predominantly American owners and crew.

Under the Jones Act, Alaskan refiners may only send oil to the U.S. mainland on a ship built, owned, and staffed by Americans. A waiver allows companies to send goods between U.S. ports without worrying about where a ship was built or what flag it flies.

While the waiver was initially for 60 days, Customs and Border Protection later approved a 90-day extension, delaying its expiration until mid-August.

Since the waiver has been in effect, America's shipping lanes have thrived—providing further evidence that we should scrap the Jones Act altogether.

"More than 31 million barrels of fuel and chemicals were shuttled between U.S. ports by foreign vessels" in 90 days, Alana Pipe and Ryan Dezember write at The Wall Street Journal. "More than 70% of these shipments originated on the Gulf Coast, home to more than half of U.S. refining capacity and numerous petrochemical facilities and........

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