The Trump administration gutted the very government offices built to manage an oil market crisis months before it launched the military strikes that triggered one.
In July 2025, as part of a reduction-in-force (RIF) initiative carried out under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the State Department eliminated most of its Bureau of Energy Resources, stripping away analysts who modelled Strait of Hormuz closure scenarios, maintained direct relationships with Gulf oil producers, and liaised with foreign energy ministries.
