this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2026
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I bet it's my taxpayer money.

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[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago

That means we are paying for it.

[–] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 21 points 2 days ago

It's hilarious that the Republicans are turning into a literal communist dictatorship.

Trump wants absolute power and is now subsidizing fuel using tax payer dollars to reduce prices for supporters of the party.

How is that not the fear mongered version of communism the Republicans have been foaming at the mouth about?

[–] emmy5482@quokk.au 109 points 3 days ago (4 children)

They're selling the strategic petroleum reserve.

[–] NekoKoneko@lemmy.world 68 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

This is a great guess, because it's one of the few ways that explains the lower prices but also allows Trump to both grift public resources to his friends while getting unearned positive MAGA publicity.

[–] MrVilliam@sh.itjust.works 31 points 2 days ago (1 children)

And it's in direct response to that Pennsylvania woman on the news at a gas station saying that she voted for him 3 times and "apparently I'm an idiot" over the gas prices. He's trying to keep PA from going blue.

[–] ContactClosure@lemmus.org 9 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Bold of you to assume they give a shit what voters think or do at the ballot stations any more.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

They don't give a shit about voters, they do care about optics though which is exactly what this is.

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I think you're wrong. But you are bold as well for making a statement like that.

Their playbook is to do everything they can to make voters not matter.

[–] ContactClosure@lemmus.org 2 points 2 days ago

How? He just fired the last 2 officials on the federal election committee (there's zero now). He already said DHS will be at the polls and they're extorting voting records from the states.

[–] lemmylump@lemmy.world 36 points 2 days ago

They've been selling that.

One of the major storage sites is dry,and this was reported a month ago.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/12/business/cushing-oil-inventory

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 17 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

Is that how the reserve works though?

Here in Australia the reserve isn't a bunch of big tanks owned by the government. Its a legislative mechanism requiring fuel retailers to hold a reserve.

It wouldn't make sense for the government to own or manage a reserve because it needs to be cycled constantly (petrol deteriorates quickly, diesel too but less so), and they'd need to replicate skills from the fuel industry.

That being the case I don't think there's a big tank of fuel owned by the government.

Edit: ok it seems I'm absolutely wrong about this.

The federally-owned oil stocks are stored in huge underground salt caverns at four sites along the coastline of the Gulf of America. The sheer size of the SPR (authorized storage capacity of 714 million barrels) makes it a significant deterrent to oil import cutoffs and a key tool in foreign policy.

https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/opr/strategic-petroleum-reserve

Sorry Americans.

As an aside, I don't understand how this works because it's certainly true that fuel doesn't last forever. Maybe you can store raw unprocessed oil indefinitely but not fuel.

[–] mkwt@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

The SPR holds mainly crude oil, so you can't just open a gas station and start selling it. It has to be sent to a refinery first, and once that happens the product that comes out is fungible.

In short it would be logistically simpler to just buy gasoline on the market and subsidize it. The subsidy is only 20-30 cents / gal as well.

[–] emmy5482@quokk.au 8 points 2 days ago

Found here

SPR oil is sold competitively when the President finds, pursuant to the conditions set forth in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), that a sale is required. Historically, the President has authorized emergency releases from the SPR on four occasions.

In short, yes I believe this to be the case

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Disclaimer I'm not American, and I don't really have much actual knowledge on this subject.

...but I THINK the US presidents can actually do this. I'm not sure what the legal mechanism is, but I do remember some chatter some15 years ago about Obama releasing the reserves. This makes me believe that the strategic reserve builds up during normalcy, and can be drained through executive action.

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[–] ours@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Socialized gas!

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's so infuriating that no one is stopping this shithead while he just does one illegal thing after another.

The conservatives and their party are terrible and nutless wonders. Imagine being such a cuckservative that you sit in Congress as an R and do absolutely nothing about any of this corruption.

We tried to stop him, but she had a vagina and a funny laugh.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago

Nationalized gas isn’t that communism? Lmao

[–] SarcasticMan@lemmy.world 52 points 3 days ago (1 children)

How long until people start complaining about check engine lights and wrecked fuel systems due to the 50% ethanol or 30% methanol mix of Freedom Fuel? Lol

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 23 points 3 days ago (2 children)

You assume they aren't just straight up adding water.

[–] SarcasticMan@lemmy.world 29 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I wouldn't put it past them but water sinks to the bottom of the tank and doesn't mix with gas. When they talk about gas stations "watering down" gas they almost always mean ethanol or methanol. Unless it's E10 because ethanol is hygroscopic it will hold aboit 1% water if fully blended. That's why E10 is shit.

[–] aramis87@fedia.io 10 points 2 days ago

Didn't he already mandate that we can have increased ethanol this summer due to his stupid fucking war?

[–] Ariselas@piefed.ca 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

maybe they are harvesting algae to make biofuel

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Like in the reflecting pool?

It's aaaallllll connected! Lol

[–] capt_wolf@lemmy.world 50 points 3 days ago (2 children)

We're stealing it, obviously... From Russian shadow fleet tankers, Venezuela, and Iran. Trump hasn't even been quiet about it, not that he ever is...

[–] First_Thunder@lemmy.zip 24 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I AM THE QUIETEST PERSON ON EARTH, by far the quietest, most humble, some would even say humblest person in the world, one day a big man, strong man, tears down his eyes, came begging me to build a statue of me of gold, saying mister President, you must allow it, but because I am so humble, I said, no, you must not worship golden idols, just like it says in the BIBLE, my favourite book, great book, love all the testaments, you know that the JEWS share part of the BIBLE WITH US CHRISTIANS, really cool, truly unique, no one knows that, Bibi knows that though, he’s very smart HIGH IQ just like me, I took THREE TESTS and PASSED THEM ALL, doctors said nothing like this has been seen before I AM IN SUCH GREAT WEALTH, just like the GREAT MITCH MCCONNELL, poor Mitch, old Mitch, right now lying in bed trying to fight the WOKE LIBERAL MIND VIRUS, I wish him well, all the DUMOCRATS (dumb+ Democrats) DIDN’T, those DOGS which THEY ARE EATING are LIARS AND BAD PEOPLE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER

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[–] RedditAdminsSuckIt@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

I’m paying $4/gal. It’s not cheap. It’s cheaper than other places but last year it was like 2.39/gal

[–] DaddleDew@lemmy.world 32 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

No idea how long it will last, but as soon as the mid terms are done, they'll definitely be gone.

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 17 points 3 days ago (1 children)

My theory is, some domestic fuel producer has done the math and decided that a dem majority in the mid terms will cost them more than providing this discount on fuel for the next 4 months.

Hopefully, they pay for the discount and face a dem majority after the mid terms.

[–] Uranus_Hz@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 days ago

They have been assured by the Epstein class that the fix is in for the mid terms.

[–] radiofreebc@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago (1 children)

People from other countries call this "communism".

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

No we don't. We call it authoritarian corruption and price fixing.

[–] Faithless@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)
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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

It is either taxpayers money, or the owner desperately wants something from Trump. What, we'll never know. Maybe pardoning some family member, maybe get a wife deported by ICE, maybe get his teenage daughter back from Trump...

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The whole thing is very weird, and yet I can't believe this administration could open gas stations without fucking it up. Maybe they actually managed to get some competent petroleum industry buddies to do it.

[–] Hegar@fedia.io 10 points 2 days ago

They just changed the branding on existing gas stations.

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

that would be you and me paying for it. you know trump aint

[–] ShredderFeeder@shredderfood.net 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It's just watered down. If it's 25% cheaper its likely 40% water...

[–] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I do they they're throwing more ethanol in. My gas milage is down.

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[–] joecitizen@piefed.ca 10 points 3 days ago

Speed run for fastest decline of a Nation?

[–] AccoSpoot1@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

If the product is free/under valued then you are the product!

[–] Tronn4@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] Faithless@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

This. Hè found a way to help Putin

[–] Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

It's so fucking mind blowing you all are trapped in this corner discussion some real issues others should know about but you all decided that wasn't really important. Nobody knows this shit and if they did they'd be fucking pissed.

I just can't believe Steve Miller told you all to fuck off and you did 😆

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

State run petrol boys. We made it! Up there with the likes of Aramco, Rozneft and Gazprom

[–] mangobanana@discuss.online 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I beg to differ, has is 3.69 and diesel is 4.59 where I live (Arizona). Sorry that's not cheap

Relative to other nations besides ones in the Middle East it is.

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