Trump Administration Suspends 1920 Law Because Gas Prices Got Moody
KEY POINTS
- •The Trump administration is considering a 30-day waiver of the Jones Act to ease U.S. gasoline prices amid the Iran war.
- •This law requires cargo between U.S. ports to sail on American-built, owned, flagged, and crewed vessels, impacting fuel costs.
- •Following pressure, officials hope this waiver and releasing 172 million SPR barrels will help stabilize energy markets.
In a move seemingly whipped up faster than a fast-food Obama order, the Trump administration flirted with suspending the Jones Act, a 1920 relic mandating cargo between U.S. ports must be on U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and U.S.-crewed ships. Bloomberg spilled the gossip of a 30-day waiver potentially easing gas prices that soared 60 cents per gallon since Iran war strikes threw the Strait of Hormuz into chaos. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who sounds like a character who’d narrate a pirate documentary, insisted this won't sabotage American shipbuilding, while libertarian Colin Grabow from Cato Institute warned relief would be so modest, it might feel like finding a cent on the floor during a Black Friday riot. Meanwhile, Trump has rare power to waive this law if military ops stink enough. Meanwhile, 172 million barrels will pour from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to distract the market chaos, because apparently 400 million barrels released internationally wasn't enough Oktoberfest fun for global oil czars.
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(1 of 3)The Jones Act's 100-year-old shipping rule might pause because petroleum prices are throwing a tantrum, proving even antique laws can’t fix a modern mess.
A century-old law gets a timeout because gas prices took their taxes very seriously. Next up: pausing gravity for free fall relief.
Trump’s plan to calm gas prices is basically ‘It’s 1920, get with the times.’ Somebody tell the ships, and the rest of us.
Source: Axios | Published: 3/12/2026 | Author: April Rubin
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