House Speaker Asks Trump to Let Jones Act Shipping Waiver Expire
Source: Bloomberg
July 1, 2026 at 12:08 PM EDT
Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans in the US House of Representatives are asking President Donald Trump to allow a waiver of a century-old shipping law granted in March to tame fuel prices to expire. The lawmakers said in a letter to the president made public Wednesday that the 126-year-old Jones Act is crucial for protecting the US maritime industry and that the waiver is being exploited by other nations. They urged Trump to allow it to lapse as scheduled on Aug. 16.
“The domestic maritime industry is deeply concerned about the length, scope, and possible extension of the current Jones Act waiver,” the lawmakers wrote. “The Jones Act waiver has become a loophole exploited by adversarial countries to erode America’s maritime dominance.” The White House credits the waiver with helping ease surging fuel and fertilizer during the war with Iran by making it cheaper and easier to move goods within the US. The measure requires ships moving between US ports be built in the US and owned and operated by US citizens.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said last week that administration officials were debating whether to extend the waiver. “New data compiled since the initial Jones Act waiver was issued revealed that significantly more supply was able to reach U.S. ports faster,” Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman said in an email. “President Trump will continue to unleash American energy dominance, strengthening America’s energy independence and delivering economic relief for the American people.”
Supporters of the Jones Act fear investments in US shipbuilding will falter if the measure’s future becomes uncertain. While previous presidents have briefly waived the law on rare occasions in the past, the exception granted by Trump marks the longest period the law has been suspended.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-01/house-speaker-asks-trump-to-let-jones-act-shipping-waiver-expire
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