Last month, I wrote that President Trump’s 60-day Jones Act waiver was an indictment of the century-old law, and that NEFI intends to seize the moment to press for repeal or, at a minimum, substantive reform. I am pleased to report that we are making good on that promise.
On April 23, NEFI rallied a broad coalition of national organizations onto a letter calling on Congress to acknowledge the impacts of this archaic law on American consumers and earnestly consider reforms, including modernization of vessel eligibility requirements and permanent exemptions or streamlined waiver procedures for critical commodities such as energy and agriculture. NEFI drafted the letter in partnership with the Agricultural Retailers Association, and signatories include the American Farm Bureau Federation, Energy Marketers of America, National Propane Gas Association, and National Retail Federation, among others. Together, our coalition represents millions of workers across America’s energy, agriculture, food, and retail supply chains.
The agriculture sector’s endorsement of Jones Act reform is no accident: the Iran conflict that triggered the waiver has hit American farmers with equal force. Since the conflict began, urea prices are up forty-nine percent, liquid nitrogen up thirty-eight percent, and anhydrous ammonia up thirty-two percent. The American Farm Bureau Federation reports that seventy percent of U.S. farmers cannot afford all the fertilizer they need for the 2026 season. Many face an impossible choice: cut fertilizer and accept lower yields, pay soaring prices and lose money, or sit out the season and take on debt.
Some analysts have argued that the 60-day waiver delivered little measurable relief, and on that narrow point they are largely correct. Freight rates spiked. Many qualifying foreign-flag vessels were already booked out. U.S. refiners, earning stronger margins on distillate exports to Europe, absorbed much of the available tonnage to ship fuel abroad rather than up the Eastern Seaboard. Sixty days was not enough time to reposition vessels or shift patterns of trade. That is not an argument against Jones Act reform. It is an argument for it. Temporary waivers cannot correct the structural constraints this law has placed on our supply chains. Only long-term relief and permanent reform can.
Bottom line is this: a law that must be suspended every time our nation faces economic stress is a law in urgent need of permanent reform. Yet, for more than a century, Jones Act reform has been treated as a third rail in American politics. It feels like this is changing. I hope I am right.
Some of you will be on Capitol Hill in the weeks ahead as part of industry advocacy days, and I can think of no better moment to press this issue with your elected representatives. This time, you are not alone. From Midwest family farms to fuel dealers on Main Street, the consensus is clear: meaningful, long-term Jones Act relief is long overdue.
