Derek Schmidt

Kansas politicians Derek Schmidt and Roger Marshall addressed constituent concerns about high gas prices.

Despite the U.S. being a top oil producer, prices are influenced by the global petroleum market.

Schmidt acknowledged that citing the global market is "not a very satisfying answer" for consumers.

Gas prices in Kansas have seen significant increases over the past year, according to AAA data.

When a trucker asked Topeka's congressman about rising gas prices, U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt admitted he was giving "not a very satisfying answer."

Schmidt, R-Kansas, held a telephone town hall on April 29. A caller, who identified himself as a truck driver, said he understands that gas prices went up with the war in Iran.

"But we took control of the oil in Venezuela, and we have control of everything with (Iran) and we're selling our oil to other countries now," the caller said. "We're the leading producer in the world for oil, from the way I understand it. Why are our gas prices still so high? If we're selling oil to other countries, why can't we bring our own gas prices down?

Schmidt said the caller was making a "good point" about oil production, gas prices and global markets.

"I actually really appreciate the way you framed the question because it's something that has had my attention for some time," Schmidt said. "Our oil production domestically is up. Certainly a lot of the regulatory reforms that have been implemented in the last year and a half or so have been very helpful in encouraging domestic production.

"To your point, there are other significant sources of oil in our hemisphere. You mentioned Venezuela, but also don't forget Canada. We are not nearly as reliant on oil from the Persian Gulf and the Middle East as we historically have been in recent history, recent years, recent decades. So why is it that changes in the supply there have such an effect here?"

The United States does lead the world in oil production — and production has increased in recent years.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that U.S. field production of crude oil was nearly 14 million barrels per day in February 2026. A decade ago, in February 2016, the production was about 9 million barrels a day. The country is also a net exporter of finished products.

"Of course," Schmidt said, "in one sense the answer is — I'll say obvious, I don't mean to diminish it — that petroleum operates in a global marketplace and that scarcity in one place, even if it's not directly here, it affects the commodity price in a global market.

"But in another sense, I agree with you. That's not a very satisfying answer."

Increased domestic production as well as the global market have been points raised by U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, in national media interviews.

"I'm sorry the gas prices are going up," Marshall said in an April 14 TV appearance, but he argued that "your national security, yes, is even more important than your pocketbook."

"I understand I'm asking Americans to make sacrifices," he added on April 15.

Schmidt said in his town hall that he has been searching for a better answer from President Donald Trump's administration.

"It's actually a question we've been asking of the administration: Help us understand how we remain so linked to the effects on the market of the risk and the uncertainty and the interruption in oil that's coming out of the Persian Gulf," Schmidt said.

Trump has been dismissive of the impact of closing the Strait of Hurmuz, through which about 20% of the world's crude oil flows.

"We're now totally independent of the Middle East, and yet we are there to help," Trump said during an April 1 national address on the war with Iran. "We don't have to be there. We don't need their oil. We don't need anything they have."

The president touted a "joint venture" with Venezuela after the U.S. military seized the country's leader and said "We're getting along incredibly well in the production and sale of massive amounts of oil and gas."

"Remember, because of our drill baby drill program, America has plenty of gas," Trump said. "We have so much gas. Under my leadership, we are number one producer of oil and gas on the planet, without even discussing the millions of barrels that we're getting from Venezuela."

But Schmidt acknowledged that other oil shipments from Persian Gulf countries have been affected by the war. He also pointed to the black market for sanctioned Iranian oil.

"There's the so-called shadow fleet or ghost fleet of tankers that everybody's known for decades go to Iran in violation of both American law and international sanctions, load up on oil and then ship it to markets that buy it illicitly in violation of the sanctions — mostly in China," he said.

"One thing the American blockade is doing right now is shutting down that black market distribution of oil. Now you would think that wouldn't have an effect on global prices because it's not supposed to be part of the global marketplace at all ... but clearly the risk and uncertainty and disruption is having an effect."

Where Kansas gas prices stand now

AAA reported an average gas price in Kansas of about $4.07 per gallon of regular gas as of May 6, slightly below the Topeka average of about $4.08. The national average was about $4.54.

The $4.07 average in Kansas was up from $3.70 a week earlier, $3.37 a month ago and $2.83 a year ago. The record high was $4.67, which happened in June 2022.

Diesel is higher, with a $5.16 average per gallon statewide, up from $4.75 a week ago, $4.70 a month ago and $3.27 a year ago. The record high for diesel was $5.37 per gallon, which also happened in June 2022.

"It's a great question," Schmidt said. "We've been asking it. I don't have a better answer for you at this moment, but we'll keep asking it."