Trump Domestic Shipping Waiver Fails to Drastically Reduce Gas Prices Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. May 27, 2026 © Adobe Stock/vadish President Donald Trump’s waivers allowing foreign-flagged ships to move oil and fuel between U.S. ports have had little impact on high domestic gasoline prices due to elevated  shipping  rates and the relatively small fuel volumes transported so far, a Reuters analysis found. In March, Trump issued a waiver to the Jones Act, a century-old law that requires shippers to use vessels built, owned and crewed by Americans to transport commodities between U.S. ports. The policy, aimed at supporting the domestic maritime industry and national security, has also resulted in higher  shipping  costs within the U.S. Trump waived the act to facilitate fuel transport around the U.S. coastline, primarily from Gulf Coast refiners to the East and West coasts, regions that rely on imports due to insufficient local refineries and pipeline connections to meet demand. The waiver represents the broadest suspension of the Jones Act in its history and offers a real-world test of whether easing the restrictions can reduce fuel transportation costs. Gasoline prices have spiked higher since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in late February, and the waiver is one of several measures Trump has taken to try to control fuel prices, which are feeding inflation. Pain at the pump could hurt Republicans campaigning to retain control of Congress in November's midterm elections. National gasoline prices averaged $4.49 per gallon on Tuesday, according to AAA, compared to under $3 before the war. California prices averaged $6.11 per gallon. "This waiver is not delivering on what (Trump) was told it would do: lower prices at the pump, and materially increase the flow of product across the country," said Jennifer Carpenter, president of the pro-Jones Act group American Maritime Part