Diyar Güldoğan
13 October 2026•Update: 13 October 2026
US Vice President JD Vance announced Tuesday that the Trump administration will use the Defense Production Act to expand a Texas refinery to help boost production of commercial and military-grade fuels as high energy prices weigh on the US economy.
“I am pleased to announce that the Trump administration, working with the refinery at Delek, has used the Defense Production Act and we’re going to expand the refinery right here in Tyler, Texas,” Vance told a campaign rally in Texas.
The expansion is intended to boost the facility’s output of commercial-grade and military-specification fuel, adding to its existing production capacity.
“We want millions of gallons of commercial-grade and military-spec fuel to come out of this refinery, in addition to what it’s already producing,” Vance said.
The announcement comes as elevated gasoline and diesel prices are putting pressure on American households and businesses, adding to economic concerns ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, just three weeks away.
According to the American Automobile Association, the national average price of gasoline stood at about $4.34 per gallon on Tuesday, while diesel averaged $6.28 per gallon.
The law gives the federal government powers to prioritize certain industrial orders and support the expansion of production capacity considered essential to national defense.
