Video: Blumenthal Presses Energy Secretary to Commit to Legislation to Lower Consumer Gas Prices

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, under questioning by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Energy Secretary Chris Wright refused to commit to supporting legislation to provide Americans relief at the gas pump.

“Secretary Wright, I noted on Sunday that you said that you said you were open to suspending the federal gas tax,” Blumenthal said. “Since then, President Trump has indicated that he’ll support it, which Senator Kelly and I introduced in the Gas Price Relief Act some two months ago, lowering prices by temporarily suspending the 18.4 cent per gallon gas tax through October 1. Do you support that idea?”

Wright did not endorse suspending the gas tax.

“I believe strongly that suspending the gas tax ought to be combined with a Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax, which I’ve championed with Senator Whitehouse. As you well know, Big Oil is raking in bonanza profits. Shell announced just Friday that it has reported a $7 billion profit in the latest quarter, which is double the previous quarter. That is emblematic of what Big Oil companies are making as a result of the war. Don’t you think it’s time that companies like Shell put some of that money back in consumers’ pockets?” Blumenthal asked.

Wright again declined to show his support for the legislation.

Two months ago, Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced the Gas Prices Relief Act to lower gas prices by temporarily suspending the 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax, providing much-needed relief for families in Connecticut and across the country who rely on their cars to get to work, school, and run everyday errands. The text of the Gas Prices Relief Act is available here.

Blumenthal has also joined U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) in introducing the Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act to curb profiteering by oil companies and reduce costs for consumers. Under the bill, large oil companies that produce or import at least 300,000 barrels of oil per day (or did so in 2025) will owe a per-barrel tax equal to 50 percent of the difference between the current price per barrel of oil and the average price per barrel last year, when big oil companies were already earning large profits. Revenue raised from the windfall profits of Big Oil companies will be returned to consumers in the form of a quarterly rebate.

The video of Blumenthal at today’s hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee is available for download here.

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