{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-to-wright-democrats-undermining-of-strategic-petroleum-reserve-threatens-higher-gas-prices", "Cotton to Wright: Democrat\u2019s Undermining of Strategic Petroleum Reserve Threatens Higher Gas Prices", "2026-03-11", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\nContact: Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353\n\nMarch 11, 2026\n\nCotton to Wright: Democrat\u2019s Undermining of Strategic Petroleum Reserve Threatens Higher Gas Prices\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright raising concerns over the Biden administration\u2019s misuse of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). America\u2019s emergency energy stockpile is an instrument designed to protect our national security and respond to supply emergencies, not a political tool.\n\nIn part, Senator Cotton wrote:\n\n\u201cI write to express my concerns about the Biden administration\u2019s actions related to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and its consequences for the U.S. government\u2019s ability to respond to the illegal attacks by the Iranian regime in the Middle East.\n\nThe Biden administration released 180 million barrels from the SPR between April and October 2022 to suppress gas prices ahead of the midterm elections. That decision drained the reserve to a 40-year low. The decision to drain the SPR was not a response to a supply emergency; it was a deliberate political act designed to protect Democrats from the consequences of their own failed energy policies.\u201d\n\nFull text of the letter may be found here and below.\n\nMarch 11, 2026\n\nSecretary Chris Wright\n\nSecretary of Energy\n\nU.S. Department of Energy\n\n1000 Independence Avenue Southwest\n\nWashington, D.C. 20024\n\nDear Secretary Wright,\n\nI write to express my concerns about the Biden administration\u2019s actions related to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and its consequences for the U.S. government\u2019s ability to respond to the illegal attacks by the Iranian regime in the Middle East.\n\nThe Biden administration released 180 million barrels from the SPR between April and October 2022 to suppress gas prices ahead of the midterm elections. That decision drained the reserve to a 40-year low. The decision to drain the SPR was not a response to a supply emergency; it was a deliberate political act designed to protect Democrats from the consequences of their own failed energy policies.\n\nThis wasn\u2019t the first time Democrats undermined the reserve. In 2020, they blocked the Trump administration\u2019s effort to invest $3 billion in domestic petroleum for the SPR, calling it a \u201cbailout\u201d for the oil industry. Then, in January 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008, which imposed a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and offshore waters. This executive order constrained domestic production while the administration was draining the reserve.\n\nThe Strait of Hormuz is the world\u2019s most important oil transit chokepoint, with roughly 20 percent of the global petroleum liquids consumption moving through it in recent years. That is precisely why the SPR must be treated as a strategic national security asset, not a political tool.\n\nI commend President Trump\u2019s commitment to replenish the SPR and reestablish the principle that America\u2019s emergency stockpile is an instrument designed to protect our national security. To better understand how Biden\u2019s actions have impacted the SPR, I respectfully request answers to the following questions:\n\nWhat would an investment of $3 billion in domestic petroleum for the SPR today provide compared to $3 billion in 2020? How would that investment in 2020 have impacted SPR levels today?\n\nWhat effect did the Biden administration\u2019s Executive Order 14008 have on domestic oil and gas supplies in 2021 and 2022? What impact did this have on overall domestic supplies that could be used to replenish the reserve?\n\nI look forward to continuing our work together on this important matter.\n\nSincerely,\n\nTom Cotton\n\nUnited States Senator\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-to-wright-democrats-undermining-of-strategic-petroleum-reserve-threatens-higher-gas-prices"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3624699786305428, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}