Trump Extends Jones Act Waiver 90 Days With No Lapse, White House Says
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Aug. 3, 2026. STR/Reuters
President Donald Trump ordered the administration to extend the Jones Act waiver for another 90 days, the White House confirmed to The Epoch Times. The waiver allows some foreign ships to transport commodities such as oil between U.S. ports.
The White House press office told The Epoch Times Friday that there will be no lapse in the waiver: the current waiver ends at 11:59 p.m. ET Sunday, and the new one begins at midnight Monday.
The Jones Act, which was signed into law in 1920, requires that cargo transported by water between U.S. ports must travel on vessels built, flagged, and owned in the United States and crewed primarily by U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The law was designed to support the domestic maritime industry and military readiness, and allows waivers for national defense interests.
The White House said the waiver permits states to source products with added flexibility amid supply disruptions from ongoing international conflicts.
The Jones Act waiver has been in place since March, after the United States and Israel struck Iran on Feb. 28, and was extended for 90-day periods in May and August.
Since the waiver began, an additional 90 million barrels of products, which were primarily refined petroleum products, have shipped between U.S. ports, according to the White House. This includes 27 million barrels of gasoline, 26 million barrels of crude oil, and 6 million barrels of renewable fuels, among others.
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Maritime domestic product volume increased 40 percent compared with the same period last year, with the West Coast seeing the biggest gains.
California received the majority of the shipments, the White House said. Twenty-three million additional barrels of product arrived at the West Coast, including 13 million barrels of gasoline and 4 million barrels of renewable fuels. That volume is a 190 percent increase from the 8 million barrels shipped into the region during the comparable stretch in 2025.
Trump issued the initial 60-day waiver March 17, which covered coal, crude oil, fertilizer, natural gas, and refined fuels, so foreign-flagged vessels could transport goods between U.S. ports.
Then-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X at the time that “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.”
National average gasoline prices had topped $3.84 a gallon, and diesel had exceeded $5 amid the early weeks of the Iran war.
A 90-day extension was announced in April. White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers posted on April 24 that “new data compiled since the initial waiver was issued revealed that significantly more supply was able to reach U.S. ports faster,” adding the step would provide “certainty and stability” and help ensure “vital energy products, industrial materials, and agricultural necessities are maintained.”
The next 90-day extension went into effect Aug. 17, shifting the process to case-by-case reviews. Rogers said the administration was working “to ensure our military and key industries maintain uninterrupted access to critical resources.”
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