Bob Hope

@MarioNawfal Then why am I still paying so much at the pump??

🇺🇸🇻🇪 Trump "We've taken so much oil out of Venezuela, we've paid for the cost of the war about 25 times over." Nobody else in the world is running foreign policy like this. x.com/clashreport/st…

@realnickkupper @brentdsadler @Chevron Is $5.19 still a good deal for gas??

California’s brain dead politics are the problem, not @Chevron

@WhiteHouse @POTUS Pretty rich there’s a “fighting for American workers” sign up yet we have a Jones Act waiver allowing foreign workers and foreign ships to come and take American jobs!

President Trump Delivers Remarks, May 22, 2026 twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Hey @POTUS @DOTMARAD you guys plan on posting anything for NATIONAL MARITIME DAY? I thought we were rebuilding American Maritime dominance? Or are we just ignoring it and letting foreign ships and mariners take over our waters?

@USDOTRapid So we’re against foreigners (illegals) operating on our roads, yet we’ve got a Jones Act waiver allowing foreigners with foreign licenses to operate 1,000 ft ships through our waterways and move our cargo? Interesting. Are we sure they’re the best drivers on our waters?

🚛❌ Secretary Duffy on getting ILLEGAL TRUCKERS OFF AMERICA’S ROADWAYS: “The issues we’ve had with commercial driver’s licenses is a nationwide problem… there’s not a difference between a Democrat state and a Republican state… they were giving CDLs to people who were illegal... we’ve now modified the rules… these should be the best drivers on the road.”

@USDOTRapid “DOT Rapid Response” is an ironic handle for this - the academy has been crumbling for 60 years, and is dying a slow death now thanks to the Jones Act waiver that is taking away American jobs in shipbuilding and sailing. A “rapid response” would be passing real legislation.

MOMENTS AGO: Secretary Duffy sounds the alarm on CRUMBLING conditions at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy “These are some of the most AMAZING young men and women… if we’re not going to make the investments, we’re going to have to shut it down… we can’t let American men and women in this academy have this kind of infrastructure.” @UsmmaO

@cpgrabow …but there are JA ATB’s that could be utilized if the market actually demanded it. JA doesn’t seem to be a barrier for this market considering there could be options if the market called for it.

Or maybe they already imported all they need for the year. Or maybe they already made arrangements to purchase it from abroad before the waiver was issued. All we know for certain is that Hawaii a) needs asphalt b) does not have access to JA-compliant asphalt tankers as none exist in the JA fleet.

The current Jones Act waiver has exposed something that is typically overlooked: many types of oceangoing ships common elsewhere in the world do not exist in the US coastwise fleet. Let’s look at what some of these vessels are and why we don’t have them. 🧵

@cpgrabow The US doesn’t seem to have a problem building ATB’s, hence why we have so many. If the demand existed one of the operating companies servicing the islands would have built or chartered one (or more) for regular service.

@MikeLoyd2013 I point to Hawaii because it has an obvious need for asphalt carriers and can’t access them for domestic trade. That less capable ATBs exist in the fleet is irrelevant.

@EricTrump @JDVance Yeah, same way Pelosi has no idea what trades are being made yet she never misses. Jesus you guys are so full of it.

Thanks @JDVance. The media is so dishonest… President Trump’s investment holdings are maintained exclusively in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions. These institutions have sole and exclusive authority over all investment decisions, including asset allocation, trading, rebalancing, and portfolio management. Investments are executed and allocated through automated, model-based portfolios and direct indexing strategies administered entirely by those firms. Neither President Trump, his family, nor The Trump Organization has any role in selecting, directing, approving, influencing or soliciting specific investments. They receive no advance notice of trades, cannot alter or override the managers’ strategies or models, and provide no input regarding investment decisions or portfolio operations. This structure was intentionally designed to maintain a clear separation between President Trump and the independent third-party investment managers overseeing the accounts and avoid even the appearance of any conflict of interest.

@cpgrabow This was likely put out to bid, as most gov builds are, and this was the lowest bidder. Not sure how a JA waiver would’ve made this cheaper. There are many outfits servicing HI that could’ve carried this product more efficiently but it would’ve cost more for more timely service.

@MikeLoyd2013 linkedin.com/feed/update/ur…

@cpgrabow Maybe it wasn’t made purposefully but the implication is there. Or at least that’s how I read it. You point to HI specifically bc of course it’s harder/more expensive to produce/import these things. You specifically leave out that there are ATB’s moving this cargo elsewhere in US

@MikeLoyd2013 I made no such implication but noted that less efficient workarounds/options must be used. Which is accurate.

@cpgrabow The implication you’re making is that the ONLY way for HI to get these materials to the islands is by a barge making a canal transit. Implying there are 0 options on the USWC. Can you link which vessel made the transit? I have a hard time believing there wasn’t a USWC option.

@MikeLoyd2013 My point is that the lack of specialized vessels in the JA fleet drives costs higher. Do you disagree?

@cpgrabow ATB’s are used to carry the products you listed elsewhere in the US. The post you made implies we don’t have a way to transport that cargo otherwise, which is not true. Hawaii used to produce its own asphalt until Chevron closed their refinery there.

@MikeLoyd2013 AFAIK it counts all imports regardless of vessel type. Are ATBs typically used to transport bulk items from the mainland? I don't recall ever seeing that, but could have missed it. No asphalt imported yet, but I believe import volumes are small (160,000 barrels).

@cpgrabow The “cost and complexity” would be high no matter what, it’s an island state in the middle of the pacific? You also left out the quote following that said the environmental complexities drive the cost higher as well.

This article, for example, points out that building a dry dock in Hawaii instead of the mainland cost twice as much due to the “cost and complexity” of getting materials to the state: stripes.com/branches/navy/… With no heavy lift vessels in the JA fleet, materials had to be barged via the Panama Canal.

@cpgrabow Does this include any ATB’s carrying cargo? Since the waiver has Hawaii imported any of this type of cargo from the US?

There are no asphalt/bitumen tankers in the Jones Act fleet. This helps explain why Hawaii imports asphalt from Spain despite the US being a significant exporter of asphalt/bitumen. Under the waiver, a bitumen tanker moved asphalt from LA to FL.

Hey @POTUS if gas prices are “peanuts” why is there a 90 day Jones Act waiver? Why not do some actual good like passing the SHIPS Act or granting subsidies to build ships IN AMERICA BY AMERICANS instead of sending money offshore to foreign companies? Not very “America First” of u

@cpgrabow @RyannMcEnany Is that the only thing you can come up with? Try harder Colin

@RyannMcEnany This content feels very organic and authentic

America doesn’t let foreign airlines dominate our domestic flights or foreign rail companies control our freight routes. So why are DC insiders trying to open US shipping lanes to foreign vessels? Trump used a temporary Jones Act waiver during the Iran crisis to stabilize supply. Congress should keep it temporary, and protect American shipping, workers, and security!

@cpgrabow So $156k working 8 months at sea a year with only 2 months pto. If I worked 8 months on my current contract I’d top that. But then again it’s no wonder MSC can’t keep officers and they have a propensity to drive people insane, hence the Amelia Earhart incident a couple years back

@MikeLoyd2013 FWIW this is the source cited by the report: sealiftcommand.com/departments/de…

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@AustinEGray My understanding is that the $156 is 8 months a year (if you get a relief on time which is rare) and included the sign on bonus that comes with the agreement to stay working for a specific amount of time, what is that time required?

@AustinEGray Hey Austin, can you supply a contract where a starting salary for a 3rd working 180 sea days a year is $156k? Which company was it? Is that a one off contract?

🇺🇸⚓️ One of the most informative reports on maritime logistics (mariners and ships) I’ve read in a long time. Five key takeaways: 1️⃣ Merchant Marine starting salaries for licensed / unlicensed crew are $156k / $83k per year, far higher than O1 / E1 active duty pay of $49k / $29k (or US median salary $63k). Still, @MSCSealift struggles to compete with private sector mariner salaries - which are FAR HIGHER! 2️⃣ Merchant mariners also have nearly zero command or leadership billets at @MSCSealift @DLAMIL @NOAA etc. Why join a force you can’t help lead one day, if you crush your career? 3️⃣ We would need 3,000 additional unlicensed mariners on day 1 of a major conflict where we activate wartime reserve sealift (25% jump from today’s crew) 4️⃣ The US Maritime Service - a WW2 era agency focused on maritime workforce - already exists, it must only be activated by @DeptTransport 5️⃣ War in the Middle East has left large bases vulnerable, with most naval refueling now conducted at sea. A fleet of 6 dedicated CONSOL tankers to keep naval ships resupplied without pulling into port would cost $273M to build in Korea or Japan (or $1.35B in U.S. yards). These tankers would run on a loop in peacetime buying/selling fuel and keeping ports fueled, while always keeping the full load of jet fuel and marine diesel needed by @USNavy at sea and in theater (but not stuck on a vulnerable base.) I briefly rolled through a Ukrainian forward refueling point in Chasiv Yar (easy to hit for Russians) and can’t emphasize enough the importance of distributing and disguising our refuel points inside the WEZ. Today, they are concentrated. Well done @brentdsadler and team