The move is part of a broader U.S. effort to rein in politically sensitive fuel price hikes ahead of November’s midterm elections, although its impact on lowering fuel prices is questionable.
Published April 24, 2026
President Donald Trump has granted a 90-day extension to shipping waivers that make it easier to transport oil, fuel and fertilizer within the United States, in the latest effort to curb rising energy costs related to the war with Iran, the White House announced.
Although its impact on lowering prices is questionable, Friday’s action reflects a broader push by the White House to rein in politically sensitive fuel price increases ahead of November’s midterm elections, when affordability is expected to be a decisive issue for voters.
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The Jones Act requires goods transported between U.S. ports to be moved on U.S.-flagged vessels. The law, passed in 1920, is intended to protect the U.S. shipping sector, but it has long faced criticism for slowing the delivery of supplies, including critical aid in times of crisis.
In March, the White House announced a 60-day suspension of Jones Act requirements as part of a broader effort to combat the war’s soaring oil prices and disruption of cargo transportation. The Jones Act is often blamed for driving up prices, especially gas. Still, several analysts and industry groups say the exemption will do little to ease fuel costs for today’s consumers.
The Center for American Progress estimated in March that exempting the Jones Act would reduce gas prices on the East Coast by just 3 cents, but could raise costs on the Gulf Coast. The move also “sidelines U.S. shipyards and workers, allowing the oil industry to continue profiting from high prices while reducing transportation costs,” the research and policy think tank said.
White House press secretary Taylor Rogers confirmed Friday that President Trump had issued the extension.
“This waiver extension brings certainty and stability to the U.S. and global economy,” Rogers said.
White House officials said the administration is taking steps to extend the exemption three weeks before it expires to give the maritime industry enough time to have enough ships to continue moving eligible supplies to where they are needed.
The Jones Act has long been a flashpoint between competing economic and national security priorities. Supporters, including U.S. shipbuilders, maritime unions and numerous members of Congress, say the law is critical to maintaining the nation’s shipping industry and commercial fleet, which supports military logistics and national security.
But critics, including energy producers, refiners and agricultural groups, argue that the requirement to use U.S.-built and crewed vessels would significantly increase transportation costs, limit shipping capacity and raise prices for fuel and other goods, especially during disruptions.
“Extending the already historically long and ineffective Jones Act waiver is not only an insult to the hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans who put our country first every day, but it also undermines President Trump’s policy of restoring America’s maritime dominance,” said Jennifer Carpenter, president of the American Maritime Partnership.
Decline in approval
Recent polls show that Mr. Trump and the Republican Party are losing ground on the economy, once a major political force, as support for his economic response has plummeted and rising gas prices weigh on public sentiment.
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll concluded earlier this week, about 77% of registered voters said President Trump bears at least a fair amount of responsibility for the recent spike in gas prices sparked by his decision to join Israel in starting a war against Iran.
This view is widely shared across political lines, with 55% of Republican voters, 82% of independents, and 95% of Democrats holding the president responsible for rising costs.
President Trump has said oil and gasoline prices are likely to fall once the Iran conflict subsides, but analysts have warned that costs could remain elevated even after hostilities end as supply disruptions, rising transportation costs and a lingering geopolitical risk premium continue to spill over into global energy markets.
