Trump Taps Wartime Powers In $150 Million Push To Fire Up U.S. Oil Refineries
President Donald Trump announced plans Thursday to deploy up to $150 million under the Defense Production Act to restart shuttered refineries and expand domestic fuel production.
The Department of Energy will direct Title III funds from the Korean War-era emergency statute into private-sector partnerships. The initiative aims to upgrade domestic petroleum processing, storage, and transport logistics, with federal officials projecting an increase of millions of gallons per day of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright characterized the decision as a decisive shift in federal energy posture.
“After 17 years of Democrat leaders enacting energy subtraction policies that led to the closure of refineries and more expensive refined oil products, the Trump Administration is taking action to expand our nation’s refining capacity and strengthen our energy security,” Wright said. “Thanks to President Trump, America is producing more oil and gas than ever before and thanks to President Trump, we will soon be producing more refined products as well. These Defense Production Act funds will be used strategically and in partnership with private industry to rapidly bolster America’s existing energy infrastructure. By restoring energy addition policies, we will continue to unleash American energy dominance and lower costs for the American people.”
President Donald J. Trump
The $150 million allocation is drawn from a broader $1 billion pot appropriated under the Working Families Tax Cuts for energy projects tied to national defense.
The legal foundation rests on Presidential Determination No. 2026-11, which formally classifies domestic petroleum refining, extraction, and distribution systems as essential to national security.
Energy officials said the review process to identify which private refineries and facilities will receive the funding remains underway, with specific recipients slated for announcement in the near future.
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