Trump’s Latest Scheme to Lower Gas Prices Probably Won’t Work
Gas prices in the United States continue to climb, and President Donald Trump thinks he has a way to solve it. With the war on Iran stretching on long past the president’s promise for an end of the conflict, He’s looking into new ways to provide relief Americans.
Bloomberg and other sources report that the Trump administration is considering waving a long-established maritime law that dictates which ships can transport American goods. In theory, this would help move oil and gasoline through US ports faster. But, this strategy is unlikely to go through without a hitch.
The Jones Act is the legal provision that the Donald Trump administration is seeking to end. By pursuing a 30 day exemption, cheaper foreign oil tankers could move these liquid goods towards the East coast of the United States. This would, in effect, lessen the burden on American consumers as they pay the price for the ongoing war in Iran. All of this sounds great until you bump up against the little fact of real life. Who is to say that Iranian ships wouldn’t just start taking out any tanker that comes through these waters? Also, legal experts say that The Jones Act only affects a few cents of the user-side price of gasoline.
Cato Institute associate director Colin Grabow told Bloomberg that this is pennies we’re talking about. “The Jones Act is probably responsible for a few cents per gallon — pennies per gallon, not dimes per gallon,” Grabow explained. “It could be helpful, but the effects could get swamped by broader movements in the market.”
President Trump considers nixing The Jones Act
So, now that all this information is out there in the open, it seems clear that there is no easy fix to this scenario that we find ourselves in. The war in Iran is the biggest reason for why fuel prices have spiked all across America. People from very different walks of life are sharing stories and comparing notes at this very moment. It doesn’t matter if you live in a big population center like Los Angeles or New York or if you’re out in the country, the numbers continue to climb with no real end in sight. Add in the dismal hiring numbers for early 2026, and the picture starts to take shape. The president’s party, the Republicans, are becoming more worried in recent weeks about their prospects in 2026’s midterm elections.
Random posters on the Internet have seen their neighbors and other members of their community kidnapped off the street by ICE in recent months. Their groceries are higher than they’ve been in for years, and we find ourselves in yet another conflict in the Middle East. All of these things would be pretty bad on their own, but together? It’s not looking so great right now. That particular line of thinking is why the SAVE Act is such a priority for the administration at the current moment as well. Anything to stem the tide against what could be waiting for the incumbent party in the fall is what the MAGA movement is looking towards.
What happens now with Donald Trump?
It’s probably best to view this obsession with the Jones Act as the latest in a long line of Hail Mary’s designed to get the base on board before calamity strikes back at home. With Donald Trump’s hard line stance on Iran, it’s hard to see a scenario where the gas prices go down before the first beats of summer hit this year. That would be a controversy that might stick to the Donald Trump administration, as Americans are notoriously grumpy when the idea of their vacations being disrupted come about. So, the future is uncertain. That much is true. But, this war in Iran isn’t helping gas prices go down. And, there’s no quick fix.
(featured image: Chris Yarzab)
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