Trump invokes Defense Production Act for refining capacity
Earlier Russian diesel pledges and ceasefire claims have drawn doubt from traders and lawmakers.
Published · Updated
UpdateThursday, October 22, 2026 at 4:53 PM ET
The administration has sent a memo on the Defense Production Act and oil to Defense Secretary Hegseth. The filing describes the order's aim as boosting petroleum capacity.
Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act for refining capacity. It is a direct federal intervention aimed at fuel supply in the United States.
Traders have discounted a run of Russian diesel pledges and ceasefire claims, and futures kept rising after them. Lawmakers have also questioned whether the Russian diesel swap would ease prices.
The Defense Production Act order works differently. It gives Washington a lever it controls directly, where those earlier promises depended on other countries. It sits alongside a red-dye waiver and a harvest fuel relief program, both aimed at the same supply strain. Together they show the administration working on supply at home through its own authority, not relying only on foreign commitments.
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