Trump Directs DOJ to Investigate Gas Price Gouging at Pump
A federal probe into retail fuel pricing would mark a significant expansion of antitrust scrutiny into the petroleum sector, with outcomes depending on whether investigators can establish...
President Donald Trump has called on the Department of Justice to open an investigation into what he characterized as price gouging by gasoline retailers, according to a CBS News report published June 24, 2026. The White House has not yet released a formal executive order or written directive specifying the legal authority, scope, or timeline of the requested probe as of this writing.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy — a fuel price tracking service that aggregates retail gasoline prices from more than 150,000 stations nationwide — commented on the development in a CBS News interview, though GasBuddy has not published a formal written analysis tied to the announcement as of the publication of this article. The national average retail gasoline price as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) for the week ending June 23, 2026, would be the relevant benchmark for any investigation; that figure can be retrieved at eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel.
Federal price gouging statutes in the fuel sector are limited. The Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. § 45) prohibits unfair or deceptive trade practices, and the DOJ Antitrust Division holds authority to investigate collusive pricing under the Sherman Act (15 U.S.C. § 1). However, no standing federal law explicitly criminalizes retail gasoline price gouging outside of presidentially declared emergencies, according to the Congressional Research Service report R45023, last updated in 2022. What specific statutory vehicle the DOJ would invoke has not been stated by the White House.
Congress has periodically considered dedicated fuel price gouging legislation. The Energy Emergency Consumer Protection Act was introduced in prior sessions but has not been enacted into law, per Congress.gov legislative records. Whether the Trump administration intends to pair the DOJ directive with a legislative request to Congress is currently unknown.
Several material facts remain unresolved. The DOJ has not issued a public statement confirming receipt of or compliance with the presidential request as of June 24, 2026. It is unknown whether the probe would target refiners, wholesale distributors, or retail station operators — a distinction that would substantially shape the legal theory pursued. The full text of any White House communication to the DOJ, which would ordinarily be accessible via a Freedom of Information Act request to the Office of the Attorney General, has not been publicly released. That document would clarify the scope, named targets if any, and statutory basis of the investigation.