My understanding is we've been restrained by maintenance

So, I don't think it's correct to extrapolate the recent replenishment rate on a straight-line basis. We've also cancelled some Congress-mandated sales that were to occur over the next few years. I'll admit that I'm suspicious of the "politician math" at work here.

To your argument about supporting domestic production, wouldn't the government basically setting the price floor at $70/barrel support domestic production? What's the point of a reserve if it can't be used to stabilize prices in the event of a destabilizing geopolitical event that had us trying to get Europe to go along with a Russian oil embargo.

Understandably, it only works if we follow through with replenishment. No different than deficit spending in a recession. We all know how good our politicians have been about reducing spending during economic expansion /s.

In general, I interpret attacks on the administration's energy policy as partisan "Fox News" partial truths. Using terms like "allegedly" and "President Kerry" only increases my skepticism of the arguments.