April 24, 2019 11:45AM 

# President Trump Considering a Jones Act Waiver 

By [Colin Grabow](https://www.cato.org/people/colin-grabow) 

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New reports suggest that President Trump is considering [granting a Jones Act waiver](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-23/trump-jones-act-natural-gas) to allow non‑U.S.-flagged ships to transport natural gas from energy-rich parts of the United States to the Northeast and Puerto Rico. He should do so without delay. Granting this waiver would mark not just a triumph of common sense, but also help fulfill President Trump’s campaign promise to take on the Washington [special](https://www.cato.org/blog/puerto-rico-lng-jones-act) [interests](https://www.cato.org/blog/jones-act-lobby-hits-panic-button) who profit from laws such as the Jones Act at the expense of American consumers and businesses.

To learn more about this issue both the public and media alike are invited to attend an [April 30 event](https://www.cato.org/events/unnatural-disaster-assessing-jones-acts-impact-puerto-rico) at the Cato Institute that will examine the Jones Act’s impact on Puerto Rico. Featuring Puerto Rico’s Secretary of State, the president of the Puerto Rico Economic Development Bank, and other experts, the event will include a discussion of the island’s attempt to obtain a Jones Act waiver for the purpose of transporting U.S. natural gas. For further information about both the Jones Act and the Cato Institute’s effort to raise awareness about this burdensome and outdated law please visit [cato​.org/​j​o​n​esact](http://www.cato.org/jonesact).

##### Related Tags 

[Energy and Environment](https://www.cato.org/research/energy-environment), [Trade Policy](https://www.cato.org/trade-policy), [Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies](https://www.cato.org/herbert-stiefel-center-trade-policy-studies), [Project on Jones Act Reform](https://www.cato.org/project-jones-act-reform) 

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