U.S. President Donald Trump meets with oil executives in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday, January 9, 2026.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with U.S. refiners and fuel distributors on Tuesday as his administration looks for ways to expand domestic refining capacity and lower gasoline prices, a White House official said.
The meeting will include Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, National Energy Control Council Executive Director Jarrod Agen and representatives from small and medium-sized refiners and distributors, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the details of the meeting have not been announced.
“President Trump is committed to ensuring successful energy dominance and maximizing cost savings for consumers,” White House Press Secretary Taylor Rogers said in a statement.
Rogers said President Trump will discuss ways to increase refining capacity, expand energy production across the supply chain and lower prices for consumers.
The move comes especially as gasoline affordability looms large over the interim period. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in early August found that nearly half of Americans say the cost of living is the most important issue in their vote, but 70% disapprove of President Trump’s response.
White House officials said the administration is focused on “concrete, short-term steps” to increase refining capacity, including increasing the flow of Venezuelan crude to U.S. refineries.
Globally, despite falling crude oil prices, a lack of refinery production capacity is leading to higher fuel prices. Valero It was estimated earlier this month that about 5 million barrels a day of production capacity had been shut down due to the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
exxon Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in late July that refining constraints have created a “disconnect” between crude oil prices and pump prices, meaning that increased oil supply may not immediately translate into cheaper gasoline.
President Trump on Friday announced a deal with Venezuela that gives the United States majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of oil reserves, part of a broader effort to boost supplies and lower gas prices as the Iran war disrupts global oil flows.
Gulf Coast refiners have benefited from increased supplies of Venezuelan crude, allowing them to process more oil.
Tuesday’s meeting will also focus on whether lower costs are being passed on to consumers and further steps the government could take to lower prices, the official said.
President Trump has previously demanded direct price reductions from fuel retailers. In July, he praised Freedom Fuel Network for selling gasoline for $3.47 a gallon and urged other companies to follow suit. However, fuel suppliers claimed over the weekend that some of the discounted gasoline was supplied through distributors who had not paid about $4 million in fuel bills.
Freedom Fuel is not named as a defendant or an accuser of wrongdoing in the lawsuit filed earlier this month.
—Spencer Kimball contributed to this report.
