Trump Seeks to Extend Jones Act Waiver to Ease Domestic Oil Shipments

President Trump wants to keep in place a temporary suspension of the U.S. "Jones Act" that he put in effect during the Iran conflict to make it easier to move oil between American ports, according to AXIOS, citing U.S. officials. The Jones Act, enacted in 1920, raises coastal shipping costs by requiring cargo transported between U.S. ports to travel on American-flagged vessels. As fuel prices rose amid the Iran conflict, Trump issued a 60-day waiver on March 18 to speed up domestic oil transportation. White House data show that since the waiver took effect, 40 tankers have been able to carry oil between U.S. ports from California to Texas, Florida and Alaska. The administration said this expanded the effective fleet by 70% and helped lower costs.