Trump Extends Jones Act Waiver for 90 Days

President Donald Trump extended the Jones Act waiver for 90 days, allowing qualifying foreign-flagged vessels to carry oil and other commodities between U.S. ports, a White House official said Friday, November 13. The extension keeps individual voyages subject to case-by-case review rather than restoring the blanket exemptions used earlier this year.

The Jones Act, formally the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, generally requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to travel on vessels built in the United States, owned by U.S. companies and crewed by American workers. The waiver temporarily permits foreign-flagged ships to make those domestic trips when approved.

The administration introduced a broad exemption in March, after disruptions linked to the conflict involving Iran. In August, it renewed the waiver but required applications to be reviewed individually. That condition remains in effect under the latest 90-day extension. The White House has described the policy as a way to increase shipping flexibility and reduce transportation bottlenecks, with the aim of easing costs for gasoline, diesel and fertilizer.

The White House said about 90 million additional barrels of petroleum had...