Trump signs memos to boost US fossil-fuel production for ‘defense readiness’ | Trump administration
Donald Trump released a series of memos Monday that doubled down on his support for increasing domestic fossil fuel production for so-called “defense preparedness.”
Trump’s memos, which cite the president’s Jan. 20, 2025, executive order declaring a national energy emergency, assert that U.S. oil, coal and natural gas production must expand “to avoid a shortage of critical industrial resources or technology items that would seriously harm the national defense capability.”
“He emphasized that our nation’s current inadequate and intermittent energy supply leaves us vulnerable to hostile foreign actors and poses an imminent and growing threat to the prosperity and national security of the United States,” one of Trump’s memorandums about his executive order said.
“Consistent with this statement, I find that ensuring the resilience of domestic petroleum production, refining, and logistics capabilities is essential to U.S. defense preparedness,” he also said.
“Oil fuels the nation’s armed forces, industrial base, and critical infrastructure. Without immediate federal action, America’s defense capabilities will remain vulnerable to disruption.”
Trump asked the energy secretary to implement his resolve regarding fossil fuels and defense, such as by “making the purchases, commitments, and financial instruments necessary to enable these projects.”
Trump’s memos invoked the Defense Production Act, Cold War-era legislation that gives the president the authority to protect U.S. defense efforts by “expanding and accelerating the delivery of materials and services from the nation’s industrial base,” according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).
Trump has worked to strengthen the U.S. oil and gas industry, which has donated more than $75 million to his campaign since his second term. He signed an order with the stated goal of “unlocking American energy,” rolled back vehicle emissions standards, and reduced restrictions on oil expansion in Alaska.
Trump also removed Joe Biden’s January 2024 pause on approving liquefied natural gas export applications to certain countries. In December 2024, the White House released an analysis showing that expanding exports would increase domestic liquefied natural gas costs.
Trump’s memoranda come as tens of millions of Americans grapple with gas prices that have risen since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran, upending global oil markets and disrupting multiple industries dependent on oil production, such as fertilizer. While recent hopes for a diplomatic resolution have helped lower oil prices, costs rose after the United States seized an Iranian ship.
The steady rise in gas prices could prove problematic for Trump, who campaigned on many populist arguments about affordability. They also come as other costs of living rise in the United States.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects that overall food prices will increase by 3.6% in 2026; costs for food at home are expected to increase by 3.1%, while costs for food away from home are expected to increase by 3.9%.
Both figures are faster than the 20-year historical average of price increases, the USDA said.
