Overview
- More than 50 House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, sent a public letter asking the president to allow the temporary Jones Act waiver to expire on Aug. 16.
- The waiver was first issued in March to let foreign-flagged ships move fuel between U.S. ports as a short-term response to wartime supply disruptions and was later extended for additional months by the administration.
- A Cato Institute tracker recorded 136 waiver voyages by 119 unique vessels as of June 25, and lawmakers citing Maritime Administration data say about 95 percent of completed waiver trips mainly benefited foreign operators.
- Independent reviews by Reuters and maritime consultants found the waiver had little effect on U.S. gasoline prices and reported that U.S.-flagged vessels were available for most qualifying moves.
- Lawmakers urged the administration to use unspecified alternative tools to address fuel and fertilizer costs, and the choice to extend or let the waiver lapse will shape jobs, domestic shipbuilding demand, and future policy on emergency maritime waivers.