Trump Extends Jones Act Waiver for Energy and Farm Cargo

The Trump administration announced August 10 that it will extend a temporary waiver of Jones Act requirements for 90 days beginning August 17, giving qualifying foreign-flagged vessels another possible option for moving energy and selected agricultural goods between U.S. ports.

The extension covers energy cargoes and agriculture-related commodities, including fertilizer and soybean oil, according to the Associated Press. Unlike the earlier blanket waiver, the new policy requires the Pentagon to consult with the Maritime Administration, or MARAD, before determining which individual voyages qualify.

The administration says the extension is meant to protect access to critical resources and ease energy-transport bottlenecks. The White House has also said earlier waivers increased domestic deliveries of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Those are administration claims, not evidence that consumers will see lower prices.

What the Jones Act normally requires

The Jones Act, formally part of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, generally requires a vessel moving merchandise between U.S. points to be U.S.-built, U.S.-owned and authorized by the U.S. Coast Guard for coastwise trade.

The temporary waiver does not repeal or permanently amend those requirements. MARAD says the waiver authority is tied to national-defense findings under 46 U.S.C. § 501. That statute allows limited waivers when the government determines that doing so is necessary in the interest of national defense and the relevant conditions are met.

What changes for energy and agriculture

For cargoes and voyages that receive approval, the extension may give shippers another temporary way to move fuels between U.S. ports and transport selected agricultural commodities such as fertilizer and soybean oil. The policy does not establish how many voyages will qualify or how much cargo will move.

Foreign vessels do not automatically qualify. The Pentagon-MARAD consultation process is intended to review voyages individually, rather than grant a blanket exemption across all covered shipments.

That means the policy could improve logistical flexibility without guaranteeing a change in retail prices. The available information does not establish that gasoline, diesel, jet-fuel or fertilizer prices will fall because of the extension.

Why maritime groups object

The American Maritime Partnership, a domestic maritime industry group representing carriers, mariners and shipbuilding interests, said the case-by-case review is an improvement over the earlier blanket waiver but still criticized extending the policy.

AMP says previous waivers did not lower fuel prices for consumers and argues that expanded access for foreign vessels can take work from American mariners and shipbuilders and discourage investment in the domestic maritime industrial base. Those claims represent the position of an interested industry group, and the employment and investment effects of the new extension will depend on how many exemptions are granted.

How the public can measure the results

MARAD requires waiver recipients to report information including the vessel’s name and flag, the owner and operator, voyage dates, ports of call, cargo and an explanation of why the waiver served the national-defense interest. Reports are generally due no later than 10 days after the voyage concludes, and MARAD says it publishes them within 48 hours of receipt.

MARAD’s August 2026 reporting page lists reports dated August 3 through August 12. Once the new extension begins, those records should provide the clearest public evidence of how often the case-by-case process is used, which cargoes are approved and which routes are involved.

What happens next

The extension takes effect August 17, not on the August 10 announcement date, and is scheduled to last 90 days unless the government takes another action. It is a temporary exemption, not a permanent change to the Jones Act.

For consumers, the near-term takeaway is limited: the policy may give shippers another way to move selected supplies, but it does not promise an immediate decline in fuel or fertilizer prices. For maritime workers and shipbuilders, the key indicators will be the number of exemptions, the vessels and cargoes involved, and whether the administration seeks another extension after the 90-day period.

Sources

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