President Donald Trump has extended for 90 days the authorization allowing foreign-flagged vessels to transport oil and other raw materials between U.S. ports, but imposed new restrictions after shipbuilders and their supporters in Congress said the policy was undermining the domestic maritime industry, the White House said.
The extension comes as the war with Iran disrupts global crude oil flows and drives up fuel prices, increasing pressure on the administration as it looks for ways to ease transportation bottlenecks and prevent further increases in gasoline and other energy prices.
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The 90-day extension ensures that the U.S. military and key industries maintain uninterrupted access to critical resources, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said on Monday.
"The data show that this authorization has led to a significant increase in domestic shipments of such vital products as gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel," Rogers wrote on the social media platform X.
According to a White House official, under the new terms the administration narrowed the scope of the relief by requiring an individual review of each voyage instead of allowing foreign vessels to receive blanket exemptions from the Jones Act.
The Jones Act requires that cargo moving between U.S. ports be carried on ships built in the United States, owned by American companies, and crewed by American personnel. The purpose of this authorization is to lower gasoline prices by increasing shipping flexibility and reducing transportation congestion.
The authorization had been set to expire on August 16. This is the longest suspension of the law, enacted more than a century ago, in its history.

















