In response to global energy disruptions triggered by Middle East conflicts, the Trump Administration issued a waiver of the century-old Jones Act in March 2026. In a new insight, Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Shuting Pomerleau explains why lawmakers should consider extending the waiver or repealing the Jones Act altogether.

Key points:

• The administration’s waiver temporarily lifts restrictions on foreign-built and foreign-owned vessels to facilitate domestic petroleum shipments through November.
• Invoking the waiver has led to surging domestic petroleum flows via foreign vessels within the first 160 days, and to the reopening of U.S. mainland propane supply to Puerto Rico on international tankers.
• While retail gasoline prices remained elevated due to broader global market disruptions, the waiver eliminated steep domestic maritime freight penalties on petroleum products, generating an estimated $99.9–$110.1 million in cost savings across the U.S. economy over the March–November waiver period.

Read the analysis.