Donald Trump says US energy shortfall poses "unusual and extraordinary threat"

President Donald Trump’s October 22 memorandum directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to use the Defense Production Act to expand U.S. oil exploration, production, storage, terminals and pipelines, citing a January 2025 emergency order. That earlier executive order had declared a national emergency over what Trump described as insufficient U.S. energy production, refining, transportation and generating capacity, saying the shortfall endangered the economy and the country’s security. The new memorandum invoked that finding as oil prices and gasoline costs were elevated during the Iran conflict, and it said federal purchases, commitments and financial support were needed to strengthen petroleum capacity tied to military needs. The action matters because it uses Cold War-era authority to steer domestic industrial resources toward energy infrastructure.