At a time of global instability and rising energy costs, President Donald J. Trump made the right call.
With tensions escalating in the Middle East and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz threatening a significant share of the world’s oil supply, Americans are once again being reminded how fragile global energy markets can be. When supply is constrained overseas, the consequences show up quickly here at home, at the gas pump, in utility bills, and across our economy.
President Trump did not hesitate. His 60-day waiver of the Jones Act was decisive, practical, and exactly what the moment demanded.
It also highlighted something important. When government gets out of the way, American energy works.
I raised concerns about the Jones Act back in 2018, when I wrote to our congressional delegation warning that the law was undermining our national security by preventing American energy from reaching American consumers. At the time, parts of the Northeast were importing natural gas from Russia because it was easier than shipping it from Texas.
We were producing abundant, affordable energy right here at home, yet federal policy made it harder to use it. That is not just inefficient. It is bad policy that weakens our energy security.
President Trump’s action cuts through that dysfunction.
The Jones Act, a relic of the 1920s, requires that goods transported between U.S. ports be carried on U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged, and U.S.-crewed vessels. In theory, it may have once served a purpose. In practice, it has created a bottleneck that limits capacity, drives up costs, and restricts our ability to respond when it matters most.
In normal times, that is inefficient. In a crisis, it is unacceptable.
The President’s waiver proves what many of us have said for years. When these restrictions are lifted, energy can move more freely, markets can respond faster, and consumers benefit.
The United States is now the world’s leading energy producer. Texas alone produces more oil and natural gas than most countries. We have the resources, the workforce, and the technology.
President Trump has consistently championed that strength, and this decision is a continuation of his America First energy strategy.
Now the question is straightforward. If this policy works during a crisis, why would we go back to a system that we know raises costs and limits supply?
The same law that restricts supply today raises costs every single day. It limits competition, reduces flexibility, and ultimately forces American consumers to pay more for energy.
The bottom line is simple. Government should not be making energy more expensive or less reliable.
The President has already taken the hardest step by granting this waiver and proving what is possible. The logical next step is to make that relief permanent.
Repealing the Jones Act would lock in the benefits we are seeing now. It would lower costs, strengthen domestic supply chains, and ensure that American energy can reach American families without unnecessary restrictions.
It would also reinforce a fundamental truth. Energy security is national security.
We have worked too hard to achieve energy independence to undermine it with outdated policies. Whether it is relying on foreign nations for supply or restricting our own ability to move resources at home, the result is the same. We weaken ourselves.
President Trump has shown leadership by acting quickly and decisively.
Now is the time to build on that success. The Jones Act may have made sense in 1920. It does not make sense in 2026.