The Jones Act: An America First Law, Waived for China’s Benefit
The 2026 Jones Act waiver has not been shown to meet its legal test, opened America’s coastwise trade to Chinese- and Russian-linked ships, and produced no demonstrated national fuel-price relief. It should expire on August 16. KEY FINDINGS: The administration has not publicly made its legal case. Section 501(a) allows a waiver only to address […]
Sparrows Point shipyard could bring thousands of jobs, promises billions in investments
By Danielle J. Brown, Maryland Matters. President Donald Trump joined state and local leaders Tuesday to welcome a huge new shipyard that will bring billions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs to Sparrows Point in Baltimore County. Anduril Industries is set to invest $3.7 billion to construct a new shipbuilding facility at the […]
IBEW Backs Jones Act & Domestic Shipbuilding
By the Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO. Delegates to the 41st International Convention of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in San Diego sent a strong message of support for the Jones Act and the American shipbuilding industry. On Sept. 24, delegates adopted two maritime resolutions submitted by IBEW Local 58: Resolution No. 45, which […]
Long Jones Act Waiver Could Cut Shipbuilding Activity by $2.6B
By The Maritime Executive. In a new study conducted for the Transportation Institute, international consultancy PwC has calculated the potential cost to U.S. maritime capability if the White House’s Jones Act waiver is sustained for a protracted period: up to $2.6 billion in lost domestic shipbuilding demand, $1.8 billion in lost tax revenue, and $12 […]
McCown says Jones Act waiver hasn’t reduced gas prices but made profits for profiteers
By Stas Margaronis, Ports & Maritime Editor, American Journal of Transportation. John McCown, maritime analyst and publisher of the McCown Report, says the Trump administration’s stated goal of instituting a waiver of the Jones Act to allow foreign flag carriers to transport petroleum products between US ports so as to reduce high gasoline prices has […]
Emergency Energy Waiver Doesn’t Match the Market
By George Landrith, President, Frontiers of Freedom. America needs a strong oil and gas industry. We also need a strong American maritime industry. Those two propositions should not be in conflict. In a serious nation, energy security and maritime security reinforce each other. Refineries keep our economy moving, our farms productive, our military supplied, and […]
Refiners, Not Consumers, Are Biggest Winners From Jones Act Waiver, OSG CEO Says
By Mike Schuler, gCaptain. The Trump administration’s emergency Jones Act waiver has delivered a windfall to U.S. refiners while doing little to lower fuel prices for consumers, according to a new analysis from the head of one of the country’s largest U.S.-flag tanker operators. In a commentary released this week, Overseas Shipholding Group CEO Sam […]
Opinion: The Case for the Jones Act: American Commerce, Workers, Security
By James L. Henry, Chairman, Transportation Institute. For more than 130 days, President Trump has waived the Jones Act, letting foreign ships carry cargo between American ports. Supporters of the waiver call this free trade. It isn’t. Moving oil from Texas to New Jersey is domestic commerce, not trade, any more than a UPS truck […]
A ship linked to China’s military sailed from Baltimore. That should worry US workers
By Chris Westbrook, Vice President, Gulf Coast, at the Seafarers International Union. Last month, a ship docked at a refinery in the small town of Reserve, Louisiana, roughly a half-hour drive from New Orleans. The vessel departed from Baltimore, and sailed down the Atlantic coast, loaded with asphalt and other manufacturing material. On its face, nothing about this […]
Shipping Waiver Subsidizes Beijing’s Fleet and Weakens Shipyards
By Michael D. Purzycki. June 23, 2026 On March 18, less than three weeks into the conflict with Iran, President Trump signed a waiver of the Jones Act. Originally meant to last 60 days, it was later extended an additional 90 days. While this waiver was officially intended to lower gasoline prices that rose when […]