Judy Gilford
on March 27, 2026
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Senator Kelly's Gas Price Blame Game Ignores Arizona's Self-Inflicted Wound from California Dependency
Senator Mark Kelly posted a photo of a Phoenix gas station charging $6.49 a gallon and immediately pointed the finger at President Trump: "All because Trump started war with no plan and no idea how it would affect everyday Americans."
Nice try, Senator. But that's not leadership—it's lazy partisan spin that dodges the real problem staring Arizona drivers in the face.
The US Oil & Gas Association set the record straight: "33% of Arizona’s gasoline — including the entire Phoenix refined products market — comes from California refineries via pipeline. With CA Democrat energy policy forcing the closure of major facilities, this dependency will mean higher prices & tighter supply ahead. Arizona has ZERO refineries of its own."
That's the punchline Kelly keeps missing. Arizona doesn't refine its own fuel. It relies on pipelines from a state that's been gutting its refining capacity for years under relentless green regulations and anti-energy policies. California has shuttered plants like Phillips 66 in Los Angeles and plans to close Valero's Benicia facility by April 2026, slashing capacity and forcing more expensive imports from Asia. Democrats in Sacramento turned a once-thriving refining hub into a shrinking mess, and now Arizona pays the price at the pump.
Kelly knows better. With his military background, he lectures about foreign choke points: "you of all people recognize that recent events have shown how unwise it is to allow an economy to be at risk of foreign choke points half way across the world." Exactly right, Senator—except Arizona's own "choke point" is right next door in California, thanks to decades of Democrat rule that prioritizes climate virtue-signaling over affordable energy.
Instead of owning that reality, Kelly pushes a federal gas tax suspension as relief while demanding a president "focused on lowering their costs." Translation: more Washington gimmicks while ignoring the domestic policy failures driving the squeeze. Global events can spike crude prices, but Arizona's vulnerability is homegrown—zero in-state refineries and blind reliance on a failing neighbor.
Time to school the senator: Arizona needs to break free from California's energy disaster. Build pipelines from Texas or other domestic sources. Cut the red tape blocking local refining. Put American energy production first instead of importing problems from blue-state mismanagement.
Blaming Trump for a $6.49 gallon while your state's supply chain is chained to California's collapsing refineries isn't fighting for families—it's gaslighting them. Arizonans deserve straight talk, not political theater. Decouple from California now, or watch prices keep climbing no matter who's in the White House.
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