Dems’ Active Obstruction of Keeping Strategic Petroleum Reserve Filled Up Nothing New – RedState
Democrats’ memories/ability to recall on who is responsible for the depletion of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve seems to be malfunctioning at an alarming rate.
As my colleague Ward Clark wrote on Monday, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and congressional Dems were not hiding their hypocrisy over their demands that the Trump administration let loose barrels of oil right now because of gas prices spiking over the conflict with Iran:
In his latest display of abject hypocrisy, he is demanding that President Trump open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to address the recent spike in fuel prices resulting from Operation Epic Fury. The catch? Senator Schumer blocked the first Trump administration from filling the reserve with oil at $29 a barrel, when now it’s over $100.
CA Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn’t been much better in that department, unsurprisingly, as RedState shared on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Burgum Takes Newsom to the Cleaners on CA’s Gas Prices, Then the Oil and Gas Assoc. Finishes Him Off
Hypocritical Dem Leader Blocked SPR Fill at $29 – Now Demands Opening the Taps
It’s even worse than that, though, and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) is asking the Energy Department to look into what appears to be purely political moves by Biden in releasing massive numbers of barrels to lower gas prices – not once but twice: (emphasis added)
Cotton, in a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital to Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright, charged that the Biden administration released 180 million barrels from the nation’s reserves in 2022 “to suppress gas prices ahead of the midterm elections.”
“That decision drained the reserve to a 40-year low,” Cotton wrote. “The decision to drain the SPR was not a response to a supply emergency; it was a deliberate political act designed to protect Democrats from the consequences of their own failed energy policies.”
Biden tapped the reserve twice — once in 2021 to relieve soaring fuel prices as the nation still grappled with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and again the following year to combat increased energy costs at the onset of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
RedState wrote extensively on the Biden moves, particularly the one in ’21. We pointed out that releasing barrels of oil barely helps everyday Americans with gas prices, and it helped Russia more than anyone. And oh yeah, readers might remember when the Biden administration decided it would be a good idea to sell nearly a million barrels from the dwindling reserves to China.
READ MORE:Republicans Formally Investigating Biden Admin for Selling Strategic Reserve Oil to China
The Biden Administration Got Absolutely Played After Release of Oil From the Strategic Reserves
Cotton also writes about the leftists’ blatant undermining of domestic oil production during the Biden term, which hurt our ability to keep the reserve at a safe level.
He also said that in 2021, Biden signed an executive order that halted new oil and gas leases on federal lands and offshore, which Cotton charged “constrained domestic production while the administration was draining the reserve.”
Luckily, one of the priorities of the second Trump administration has been to work on reversing the damage, as we wrote in April 2025 about Sec. Wright confirming they “would continue to refill the Reserve” as long as he’s in charge at DoE.
This contrast in policy from the Democrat Party is important to keep front of mind as we move closer to the midterms then 2028; they cannot be trusted to manage our nation’s economic or energy stability. We need to keep pointing and laughing at their kabuki theater over gas prices; their past behavior shows it’s just the typical trick they try to pull, wanting it to seem like they’re “doing something.”
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
