President Donald Trump extended a waiver for the Jones Act for an additional 90 days on Monday, allowing foreign-flagged vessels to continue transporting oil and other commodities between U.S. ports. The extension includes new restrictions that require a case-by-case review of individual voyages, replacing previous blanket exemptions. The policy was scheduled to expire on August 16 prior to the announcement.
The Jones Act is a century-old maritime law requiring that all goods transported between U.S. ports be carried on ships that are built in the U.S., owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. permanent residents or citizens. The administration stated the extension is intended to address transportation bottlenecks and mitigate rising fuel costs linked to global crude flow disruptions caused by the war with Iran.
According to White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers, the waiver has facilitated an increase in domestic deliveries of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. However, shipbuilders and their allies in Congress argued the policy undermined the domestic maritime industry, leading to the new limitations. The American Maritime Partnership, which supports the Jones Act, expressed disappointment in the extension but described the move to case-by-case reviews as an improvement.
The scale of the waiver's impact is reflected in government data showing that approximately 208 Jones Act exemptions were utilized over a period of roughly four and a half months ending August 3. For the domestic maritime industry, these exemptions represent cargo that would otherwise be legally reserved for U.S.-built and U.S.-crewed vessels. The American Maritime Partnership has urged the administration to rigorously assess the availability of U.S. vessels before granting any new individual exemptions during this 90-day period.
For the duration of this extension, U.S. industries and the military will maintain access to resources that might otherwise be delayed by shipping bottlenecks. However, the requirement for individual voyage reviews means that foreign shipping companies will now face a more detailed administrative process rather than the previous blanket permission. The next major deadline for the policy is in mid-November 2026, when the 90-day extension is set to expire. In the interim, the Cato Institute has called for Congress to consider permanent legislative changes to the Jones Act rather than temporary waivers.