Trump administration invokes Defense Production Act for Delek’s Tyler refinery

Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, that the Trump administration is using the Defense Production Act to support an expansion of Delek US Holdings’ refinery in Tyler, Texas. The announcement puts a national-security production law behind an effort the administration says will increase supplies of both civilian and military fuel.

Speaking at a rally in Tyler, Vance said the administration had worked with Delek and had used the law to expand the refinery. He said the goal was to produce millions of additional gallons of commercial-grade and military-specification fuel. Neither Vance nor the administration publicly provided a project schedule, a funding amount or a target for the refinery’s added processing capacity in the reports available Tuesday.

Reuters reported that the Tyler plant currently processes about 74,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The refinery is a long-running Delek operation in East Texas, roughly 200 miles north of Houston. The announcement concerns that Tyler facility—not Delek’s separate refinery in Big Spring, Texas.

The Defense Production Act, enacted in 1950, gives the president broad authorities intended to expand or prioritize the supply of materials, services and industrial capacity considered necessary for national defense. Those authorities can include priority contracts, incentives and other measures. The announcement did not specify which provisions would be used, which agency would administer them or whether the federal support would take the form of financing, procurement commitments or another mechanism.

Vance framed the refinery plan as a way to improve fuel availability and eventually lower transportation costs. The White House has been under pressure over elevated gasoline and diesel prices ahead of the November midterm elections. The administration has pursued other supply measures, including a license easing restrictions on Russian-origin diesel, a separate policy that has drawn criticism from lawmakers in both parties.

The Tyler project is unlikely to change pump prices immediately. Refinery expansions generally require engineering work, permits, equipment purchases and construction, and can take months or years depending on their scope. The Hill quoted oil analyst Andy Lipow expressing skepticism that use of the production law would quickly increase diesel output because operating refineries were already producing as much diesel as practical. He said investments could raise output later or support the restart or construction of facilities.

Reuters said the White House and Delek did not immediately answer questions about federal funding or the amount of additional capacity expected. Those unanswered points are central to evaluating the announcement: a production priority, a federal loan and a direct purchase commitment would carry different costs, timelines and risks. No publicly cited document accompanying Vance’s remarks set enforceable milestones for the expansion.

The policy is nevertheless a material step by the Trump administration because it applies emergency industrial authority to refinery capacity and links civilian fuel affordability with military supply needs. The next verifiable developments will be any presidential directive or agency action identifying the Defense Production Act authority being used, Delek’s disclosure of the project scope and financing, and permit or construction records showing when physical expansion could begin.

Sources and image credit

Announcement details, Tyler refinery capacity and unanswered funding questions: Reuters via Yahoo News

Independent account of Vance’s remarks and industry context: The Hill

Background on the Defense Production Act’s authorities: Congressional Research Service

Image: official White House photograph of Vice President JD Vance arriving at Joint Base Andrews, by Emily J. Higgins, via Wikimedia Commons (September 30, 2026; archival image; cropped to 16:9). The White House work is in the public domain in the United States.