Trump authorizes lifting the ban on ships for 60 days to lower energy transportation costs within the United States.

On March 18th local time, President Trump authorized a temporary waiver of the Jones Act for a period of 60 days to reduce the transportation costs of bulk commodities such as oil and natural gas within the United States. According to the measure, for the next 60 days, ships flying foreign flags will be allowed to transport related energy and other goods between U.S. ports. The Jones Act was enacted in 1920 to support the U.S. domestic shipbuilding and shipping industry. The Jones Act requires that ships transporting goods between U.S. ports must be U.S.-built, U.S.-registered, flying the U.S. flag; the majority ownership of the ships must be held by U.S. citizens, and operated by U.S. crew members. The Jones Act aims to protect the interests of the domestic shipping industry by prohibiting foreign ships from engaging in transportation on domestic routes in the United States. However, it has been controversial due to its restrictions on shipping capacity and transportation costs during emergencies. Some analysts have suggested that this waiver is seen by the U.S. government as one of the measures to alleviate the pressure of rising energy prices caused by military actions in Iran.