What to Know About Trump’s Waiver of Shipping Rules to Ease Gas Price Pressures

What to Know About Trump’s Waiver of Shipping Rules to Ease Gas Price Pressures
Oil tankers sit anchored off the coast of Seal Beach in California on March 17, 2026. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Oil tankers sit anchored off the coast of Seal Beach in California on March 17, 2026. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Rising global energy prices triggered by the Iran conflict have led President Donald Trump to waive a century-old U.S. maritime law governing the movement of goods between American ports.

The Jones Act includes several provisions, but its core requirement is that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports must travel on vessels built in the United States, flagged in the United States, owned by American companies, and crewed by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Andrew Moran
Andrew Moran
Author
Andrew Moran has been writing about business, economics, and finance for more than a decade. He is the author of "The War on Cash."