US to Help Expand Delek Refinery, Vance Says in Visit to Texas

Vice President JD Vance announced plans by the administration to work with Delek US Holdings Inc. to expand a refinery in Texas, the latest effort to tout energy investments to lower fuel prices ahead of midterm elections.

Vance said the effort would tap the Defense Production Act, during a campaign stop in Tyler, Texas. President Donald Trump has invoked the Cold War-era law to fund a wide-range of energy projects in the US, as his administration faces pressure from voters to bring down high costs that are squeezing household pocketbooks.

“I am pleased to announce that the Trump administration, working with the refinery at Delek, has used the Defense Production Act, and we are going to expand the refinery right here in Tyler, Texas,” Vance said Tuesday.

“We want millions of gallons of commercial grade and military spec fuel to come out of this refinery, in addition to what it’s already producing,” he added, touting the effort as one that would mean savings for families and a “more reliable energy supply” for companies.

“What that means for you and your families is lower costs to fly from one place to another. It means lower costs to drive your car into work every single day. It means a more reliable energy supply, but also a stronger national defense,” Vance said.

The Trump administration has taken numerous steps in recent weeks to help bring down energy prices ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election, a vote that will hinge on voters’ view of the president’s economic agenda.

Polls show the public unhappy with high costs of living, including for energy, and over the war in Iran, which has also exacerbated prices at the pump.