Trump to issue 60-day Jones Act waiver

Photo: White House

In a move that won’t sit well with the U.S. domestic shipping industry, President Trump is to issue a 60 day waiver of the Jones Act.

“President Trump’s decision to issue a 60-day Jones Act waiver is just another step to mitigate the short-term disruptions to the oil market as the U.S. military continues meeting the objectives of Operation Epic Fury,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X. “This action will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to U.S. ports for sixty days, and the Administration remains committed to continuing to strengthen our critical supply chains.”

As of yet, that post on X, is about all that’s known about the waiver.

The Jones Act only applies to shipments between U.S. ports, so that part of the press secretary’s statement about allowing vital resources to flow freely “to” U.S. ports is a bit off the mark.

The last time any waiver of the Jones Act was authorized was by DHS under the Biden Administration in response to the 2021 Colonial Penn pipeline breakdown.

When more details of the current waiver emerge, we’ll report on them. Meantime a December 2024 CBP publication has some specifics of what the legal requirements are.

• Download the CBP publication HERE

UPDATE: More details have emerged on just how sweeping the waiver is, more on that HERE