You might feel like you're seeing a lot of stories about strategic oil reserves on Wednesday. 

That’s because the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran has caused volatility on the market, and the International Energy Agency (IEA), a Paris‑based intergovernmental organization that counts over 30 countries among its members, is releasing 400 million barrels to tackle the problem. 

Senate Minority Chuck Schumer (D-NY) meanwhile has been “demanding” that we tap into our reserves (why does a minority leader get to “demand” anything?), and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), is, as RedState’s Becca Lower wrote, “asking the Energy Department (DoE) to look into what appears to be purely political moves by Joe Biden [when he was president] in releasing massive numbers of barrels to lower gas prices.”

MORE OIL: Senate Republican: Dems' Active Obstruction of Keeping Strategic Petroleum Reserve Filled Up Nothing New

Massive New IEA Oil Reserves Dump: 400 Million Barrels Released

On Wednesday afternoon, the stories continued as the president announced that the U.S., too, would hit our reserves:

President Trump on Wednesday ordered the release of 172 million barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to bring down rising gas prices.

[...]

His willingness to tap the strategic reserve comes as the International Energy Agency coordinates the release of 400 million barrels of oil from various national reserves around the world.

According to the Energy Department, we'll begin tapping the reserves beginning next week, and the release process will take approximately four months.

? BREAKING: President Trump has just ordered the Department of Energy to release 172 MILLION BARRELS (5.4B gallons) from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, per DOE

Trump is using the Reserve for what it was ACTUALLY meant for — preventing hostile nations from blackmailing us… pic.twitter.com/UwpRji2b55

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 11, 2026

The tweet continues:

Trump is using the Reserve for what it was ACTUALLY meant for — preventing hostile nations from blackmailing us with oil prices.

Biden, on the other hand, was using it to make prices look better for the 2024 election.

President Trump said today the International Energy Agency also authorized over 400 MILLION barrels from various nations’ reserves.

Iran’s only card left to play is spiking gas prices in the US — and Trump isn’t about to allow that to happen.

Trump said he was aware of volatility in the oil market, but emphasized that this move, along with his promise to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, should blunt the impact.

"Well, we'll do that [tap the reserves] and then we'll fill it up," Trump told WKRC-TV in Cincinnati during a visit to pharmaceutical and biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific.

"I filled it up once and I'll fill it up again, but right now we'll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down."

RELATED: Trump Highlights Manufacturing, Jobs, Drug Pricing in Ohio Visit and Kentucky Rally

Joe Biden famously drew down the reserve to a 40‑year low in 2020, and though he put some back in, he left it far emptier than when he started. Meanwhile, he spent four years term warring against oil and traditional energy.

I say with some degree of confidence that Trump will start to fill it the moment things settle down, and instead of trying to crush the oil industry and send us back into the 1800s, he’ll want to drill, baby, drill.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and bold policies, America’s economy is back on track.

Help us continue to report on the president’s economic successes and combat the lies of the Democrats. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.