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Secretary Chris Wright Reacts to State of the Union and Updates Venezuela Oil on Fox Business

February 25, 2026 · U.S. Department of Energy · 0:09:13

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

The program opened with clips of President Trump’s State of the Union address stating that American oil production was up by more than 600,000 barrels a day, that the U.S. had received more than 80 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, that natural gas production was at an all-time high, and that companies would be told they could build their own power plants to ensure their electricity supply while lowering prices, as the address excerpts stated. The broadcast noted U.S. drilling was heading for nearly 14 million barrels of oil a day in November 2025, according to the program.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright called the address optimistic and patriotic and forward-looking, about restoring the American dream, stopping price rises, making America the place people want to invest so factory and manufacturing jobs return, raising wages, and lowering prices, as he described it.

Asked for an update on Venezuela, Wright said the country had been going downhill for 25 years through sanctions, carrots, and sticks, and that President Trump decided to actually enforce the sanctions — putting a quarantine on the flow of oil — which changed the dynamic dramatically. Venezuela was now ramping up production, freeing political prisoners, starting to free its press, and looking at reforming its laws, according to Wright.

Why it matters

Wright’s post-address interview links the State of the Union’s energy claims — production growth and 80 million Venezuelan barrels — to the enforcement-first Venezuela approach he credits for changing the country’s trajectory.

Scoreboard watch

Scoreboard watch: the production figures aired in the segment — U.S. oil production up more than 600,000 barrels a day and more than 80 million barrels received from Venezuela, as stated in the address excerpts — are checkable claims flagged for the scoreboard editor.

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, “Secretary Wright Joins Kevin McCarthy and Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business - February 25, 2026”, 2026-02-25 (official upload, embedded above; published 2026-02-25). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.