Burgum Dismisses US Oil Export Curbs as ‘Bad on All Accounts’

A chemical/oil products tanker at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California.Photographer: Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

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May 19, 2026 at 2:17 PM UTC

Trump administration officials are holding firm against restricting American oil and gasoline exports, even as worries grow about dwindling domestic stockpiles with the world leaning on US crude to fill a shortfall caused by the war in Iran.

“Economically, geopolitically and for affordability, it’s kind of bad on all accounts,” US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in an interview.