By Jarrett Renshaw
July 1 (Reuters) - House Speaker Mike Johnson and several Republican leaders are asking President Donald Trump to allow waivers to a law on shipping between domestic ports to expire in mid-August as scheduled, rather than extending them further, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The waivers to the more than century-old Jones Act were issued by Trump during the Iran conflict to help ease supply disruptions and keep fuel and other critical goods moving between U.S. ports in an attempt
to moderate rising prices. Lawmakers now say those emergency conditions have passed and the waivers should end on schedule.
In their letter, Johnson and 51 other Republican lawmakers emphasize the importance of the Jones Act, which requires cargo moving between U.S. ports to be carried on American-built, owned, and crewed ships.
They argue that the law supports U.S. maritime jobs and national security, and warn that continued waivers could weaken domestic shipping by allowing foreign-flagged vessels to operate in coastal trade even when U.S. ships are available.
A White House official noted that “the second waiver extension does not expire until August 16” and added that “if there are any further announcements, they will be made directly by the President or the Administration.”
A White House spokesperson defended the waivers, pointing to their impact on fuel movement and market stability.
"New data compiled since the initial Jones Act waiver was issued revealed that significantly more supply was able to reach U.S. ports faster," Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement to Reuters.
However, analysts have found the policy has had only a limited effect on gasoline prices, largely because the volumes moved are small relative to total U.S. demand and shipping costs remain elevated.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Mark Porter, William Maclean)
