The US Strategic Oil Reserve, a network of salt caverns in Louisiana and Texas, can hold about 715 million barrels of crude. As of March 13, the stock sits at roughly 155 million barrels of sweet oil and 261 million barrels of sour oil, after President Biden released 180 million barrels in 2022 to counter the Ukraine‑Russia shock.

Trump officials have pledged to draw another 172 million barrels from the reserve as part of a record‑breaking 400‑million‑barrel international release. That would bring the SPR down to 244 million barrels, below the statutory floor of 252 million barrels that law forbids any drawdown when reserves dip under that threshold.

Beyond legal limits, the caverns themselves impose a physical floor. JPMorgan analysts estimate a minimum safe level of about 150 million barrels; falling below that could trigger structural damage. Releasing more oil risks destabilizing the storage network and could backfire on the very market the administration seeks to calm.

In short, the US can still tap the reserve, but any draw beyond the announced 172 million barrels would push the inventory toward the 252‑million‑barrel legal floor and the 150‑million‑barrel safety threshold. Investors should watch for a potential emergency declaration, as the government’s ability to act is constrained by both law and physics.