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House Republicans Urge Trump to Let Jones Act Waiver Expire on Aug. 16

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President Donald Trump is facing pressure to end the temporary Jones Act shipping waiver on Aug. 16, according to a public letter from House Republicans issued on Tuesday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and 51 House Republicans said in a June 30 letter that the waiver helped ease fuel and fertilizer costs during the conflict in Iran.

The letter urged Trump to let the measure expire as scheduled and instead use alternative policies to address energy costs.

The lawmakers said "a strong maritime industrial base is essential to the nation's economic and national security," noting that fewer than 1% of new commercial ships are built in the US and highlighting the need to protect domestic maritime policy, according to the letter.

They added that the Jones Act serves as "our nation's strongest shield against foreign exploitation of American waterways" and supports hundreds of thousands of US maritime jobs while moving over 760 million metric tons of domestic cargo each year.

The lawmakers said the waiver has allowed foreign-flagged vessels to operate even when US-flagged ships were available.

The Jones Act requires goods moving between US ports to travel on US-built and operated ships, supporting domestic shipping and maritime jobs.

Citing Maritime Administration data, the letter added that approximately 95% of completed waiver voyages primarily benefit foreign maritime operators that neither pay US taxes nor comply with US immigration laws.

The White House did not immediately respond to' request for comment.

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