Citizen Outreach joins more than two dozen free market groups thanking the administration for keeping cheap energy flowing to American families.
Our own Chuck Muth, President of Citizen Outreach, is back at it again on the Jones Act fight.
This time, they signed onto a fresh letter dated August 13, 2026, thanking the Trump administration for extending a waiver that keeps a century-old shipping law from driving up gas and diesel prices.
This is the second letter Citizen Outreach has put its name on this year. Back in May, Muth joined more than three dozen conservative and free market groups asking Congress to permanently repeal the Jones Act altogether.
Read our prior coverage:
The Jones Act Is Costing You Money: AFP, Citizen Outreach Among Free-Market Leaders Demanding Repeal
The new letter is more narrow. It focuses on one specific decision the administration just made, and it says thank you.
What Is The Jones Act Anyway
The Jones Act is a law from 1920. It says that any cargo shipped between two American ports has to travel on a ship that is built in America, owned by Americans, and crewed by Americans.
Sounds patriotic, right?
The problem is there are barely enough of those ships left to do the job. Fewer than 100 qualify these days.
That means shipping goods from, say, Texas to California by water can cost way more than it should, because there is almost no competition allowed.
Why The Waiver Matters
The law does have a safety valve.
It lets the Secretary of War request a waiver when it is:
“necessary in the interest of national defense to address an immediate adverse effect on military operations.”
President Trump used that safety valve after tensions with Iran disrupted energy shipments earlier this year. The new letter points out that his actions have allowed more than 200 voyages since March, delivering goods Americans rely on, including gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, crude oil, and fertilizer.
In plain English, that waiver let more ships from more countries bring fuel to American ports. More ships competing means lower prices at the pump for you and me.
The letter also notes the extended waiver now comes with a new requirement for consultations between the Maritime Administration and the Pentagon, and the signers say they are glad the waiver was not allowed to simply expire.
Citizen Outreach was joined on the letter by heavy hitters like Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, National Taxpayers Union, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and about twenty other free market groups from across the country.
Why This Matters To Conservatives
Limited government conservatives have never liked the Jones Act. It is a hundred-year-old regulation that protects a shrinking handful of shipping companies while everyone else pays more for groceries, gas, and heating fuel.
Americans for Prosperity has been especially vocal this year, and the group's Brent Gardner said the current waiver situation proves:
“temporary waivers are no substitute for permanent reforms.”
The group's larger point is simple. Every time there is a crisis, Washington rushes to suspend the Jones Act because everyone quietly knows it is bad for consumers. If it is bad enough to suspend during a crisis, conservatives argue, it is bad enough to repeal for good.
What Critics Are Saying
Not everyone agrees. Maritime labor unions and shipbuilding groups have pushed back hard. More than 50 members of Congress sent their own letter in June asking the administration to let the waiver expire on schedule. Shipbuilding industry groups have argued that a large share of the waiver voyages benefit foreign shipping companies, including some with ties to China, and that keeps American shipyards and American sailors on the sidelines. They see the Jones Act as a national security tool, not just red tape.
What Happens Next
The current waiver still has an expiration date down the road, so this fight is not over. Congress has bills sitting around, including one from Senator Mike Lee, that would repeal the Jones Act for good instead of relying on temporary waivers.
If you think American families deserve cheaper gas without having to wait for the next international crisis to force Washington's hand, now is a good time to call your representatives in Congress and tell them to support permanent repeal.
Read the full letter: Jones-Act-Letter
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