Millions tap Trump tax cuts this filing season as refunds top $3,400

April 15, 2026 11:44am EDT / Fox News

Treasury data shows filers who used Trump tax law provisions saw average cuts topping $800

By Amanda Macias, Fox News

Chief tax officer at Jackson Hewitt Mark Steber explains filing an extension may give you more time to submit paperwork — but the IRS still expects your payment on time, and missing that deadline can trigger costly penalties and interest.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Listen to this article

2 min

More than 53 million tax filers used at least one of President Donald Trump’s signature tax breaks this filing season, as the average refund climbed above $3,400, according to Treasury Department data released on Tax Day.

The figures mark the first filing season since the Republican-backed “Working Families Tax Cuts” were passed in July 2025 and implemented by the IRS, with Trump administration officials touting broad uptake and increased tax relief.

Wednesday is the deadline to file taxes for the 2025 earning year, and the president promised the “largest tax refund season in U.S. history” thanks to his One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

TAX EXTENSION FILERS BEWARE: PAYMENTS ARE STILL DUE TO THE IRS BY APRIL 15

President Donald Trump signs sweeping spending and tax legislation, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” during a picnic with military families at the White House on July 4, 2025.(Reuters/Ken Cedeno)

As of April 14, the average refund rose 11% compared to the previous filing season, Trump’s Treasury Department claims. Filers who used at least one of the new provisions saw an average tax cut of about $800, the new report found.

The data points to widespread use of several provisions in the new law.

About 25 million filers claimed a deduction for overtime pay, while roughly 6 million claimed a tax break on tips. An estimated 30 million seniors took advantage of an enhanced deduction, and approximately 34 million families claimed an expanded child tax credit.

TAX DAY IS TODAY: AVOID THESE 5 COMMON MISTAKES THAT CAN COST YOU MONEY

Tax scams have evolved from unemployment fraud to social media “tax hacks,” with the IRS warning of new threats for the 2026 filing season.(Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images)

Another 105 million filers used the expanded standard deduction, while about 1 million deducted interest on car loans for new American-made vehicles.

Treasury also said more than 5 million “Trump Accounts” have been opened, including about 1.2 million eligible for a $1,000 pilot program contribution.

The accounts, created under President Donald Trump’s sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act, are government-backed investment funds for children designed to grow over time.

They function similarly to traditional long-term investment vehicles, but with rules tailored to protect young savers.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Identity theft and fraudulent tax filings remain top concerns for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as criminals exploit confusion around credits and filing rules.(Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the results show the administration’s tax policy is delivering meaningful relief to workers and families.

“Under President Trump, we uphold the foundational principle that hardworking Americans should be rewarded, not punished with tax hikes,” Bessent said in a statement included in the data release.

He touted that taxpayers are “keeping more of what they earn and seeing their paychecks go further.”

Amanda covers the intersection of business and politics for Fox News Digital.

Newly released surveillance video shows Oklahoma high school principal tackling gunman

April 15, 2026 10:51 AM EDT / CBS News

Newly released surveillance video shows an Oklahoma high school principal tackling a gunman in the school’s lobby.

Seconds after the suspect opened fire at Pauls Valley High School last week, principal Kirk Moore is seen racing into the hallway. Moore pushes the gunman onto a bench and holds him down before another staffer helps kick the weapon away.

“We’re about a population of 6,200 people. Good kids, good community. Certainly don’t expect these type of situations to happen in your town,” said Pauls Valley Police Chief Don May.

Newly released surveillance video shows Kirk Moore, the principal at Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma, tackling a gunman in the school’s lobby. Pauls Valley Public Schools

Moore, an educator for 35 years, was shot in the leg and airlifted to a nearby hospital. No one else was injured in the shooting.

“He got up like the rest of us to go to work and who dreamed this was going to happen? So I just want to say thank you,” said Lindel Fields, the Oklahoma superintendent of public instruction.

In a statement, Moore credited his “instincts and training, as well as God’s hand” for helping him subdue the threat. He said he looks forward to returning to work as soon as possible so that he can continue his “life’s work educating the next generation of Oklahoma leaders.”

Court documents identify the suspect as Victor Lee Hawkins. Law enforcement said the 20-year-old suspect is a former student of Pauls Valley High School.

Hawkins is facing multiple charges, including shooting with intent to kill. He’s pleaded not guilty and remains in custody on $1 million bond.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/new-surveillance-video-shows-oklahoma-principal-tackling-gunman/

By

David Wright

Updated 1 hr 34 min ago

Updated Apr 15, 2026, 10:36 AM ET

PUBLISHED Apr 15, 2026, 9:12 AM ET

Senate election US elections Congressional news Primary elections

See all topics

Facebook Tweet Email Link Threads

Link Copied!

Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for US Senate, greets supporters at a primary election watch party in Austin, Texas, on March 3, 2026.

Eric Gay/AP/File

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico announced a first-quarter fundraising haul of more than $27 million on Wednesday, among the largest totals reported by a US Senate candidate.

Talarico, a state representative and Presbyterian seminarian, won the Democratic nomination in March over US Rep. Jasmine Crockett. His campaign said he has raised $10 million since the March 3 primary.

Democrats are hoping Talarico will be able to put reliably red Texas in play at the statewide level as they face a tough national map for Senate control that would require them to net four seats. The Democratic state representative will face the winner of a May 26 runoff in the Republican primary between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Talarico’s campaign has drawn comparisons to former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 bid against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, in which O’Rourke raised then record-sums and galvanized state Democrats, ultimately losing to Cruz by less than three points. In the first quarter of that election year, O’Rourke had raised $6.8 million, and he went on to raise a total of $80 million for the race.

No Democrat has won statewide in Texas in three decades. But Cornyn’s allies argue nominating Paxton would require Republicans to invest tens of millions of dollars in a general election.

Related article Texas Senate candidate James Talarico (D-TX) addresses supporters on election night on March 03, 2026 in Austin, Texas. John Moore/Getty Images Takeaways from the Texas and North Carolina primaries 6 min read

Talarico is among several Democratic Senate candidates announcing strong first-quarter fundraising totals this week around the Wednesday deadline to file reports with the Federal Election Commission.

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, who has a competitive reelection contest as the only incumbent Democrat running in a state won by President Donald Trump in 2024, said that he raised $14 million in the first quarter and would report over $31 million in cash on hand.

Meanwhile, former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, running in another battleground contest pivotal to Democratic hopes of flipping the Senate, said that he raised $13.8 million.

Cooper’s opponent, former RNC chair Michael Whatley, announced that he had raised $5 million in the first quarter.

Former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, running to return to the Senate, raised $12.5 million in the quarter, after losing reelection to Sen. Bernie Moreno in 2024. Brown is likely to face Republican Sen. Jon Husted, appointed last year to Vice President JD Vance’s seat, in another closely watched race

Democratic candidates in contested primaries in Maine and Michigan – two more states the party must win in order to chart a path back to the majority – also reflected the enthusiasm among donors.

Graham Platner, the Maine veteran and oyster farmer, raised $4 million for his Senate campaign in the first quarter, outraising his primary rival, Gov. Janet Mills, who brought in $2.6 million. The winner will take on GOP Sen. Susan Collins, a resilient incumbent already backed by pledges of more than $40 million in outside spending.

And in Michigan, state Rep. Mallory McMorrow brought in $3 million, just ahead of Abdul El-Sayed, who raised $2.25 million. Rep. Haley Stevens, another top Democratic contender, has not yet announced her totals.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the lead GOP candidate, has not announced his totals either, but like Collins in Maine, Rogers is backed by pledges of tens of millions of dollars in outside spending support.

特朗普（左）多次抨击斯塔默（右）的政策，但声称与英国的紧张关系“绝不会”影响查尔斯三世本月对美国的国事访问。 （法新社）

美国总统特朗普以威胁废除英美贸易协议施压后，英国首相斯塔默星期三表明，英国不会在伊朗战争问题上屈服。

法新社报道，斯塔默星期三（4月15日）在国会上说：“我们不会被卷入这场战争。这不是我们的战争。我不会改变主意，我不会屈服。加入这场战争不符合我们的国家利益。”

特朗普早前接受天空新闻电访时，威胁要调整与英国达成的协议，这项协议旨在限制美国关税政策对英国的冲击。特朗普多次抨击斯塔默的政策，但声称与英国的紧张关系“绝不会”影响查尔斯三世本月对美国的国事访问。

伦敦与华盛顿去年达成贸易协议，将美国对大部分英国制品的关税上限定在10%。作为交换，英国同意进一步开放本国市场，增加进口美国乙醇和牛肉，引发国内忧虑。

当时，这项协议对伦敦相对有利，使英国享有美国给予的最低关税待遇之一。不过，自从美国最高法院推翻部分关税措施后，这一优势已经削弱。

Iran claims oil tanker transits Strait of Hormuz amid U.S. blockade on Iranian ports

April 15, 2026 11:54 AM EDT / CBS News

By Khaled Wassef, Joanne Stocker Verification producer

Iran’s state media claimed Wednesday morning that a bulk carrier transporting food supplies and an Iranian crude oil tanker had entered Iranian waters after transiting the Strait of Hormuz, hours after a top U.S. military commander said a blockade of Iranian ports was “fully implemented.”

Iran’s Fars News Agency said a supertanker capable of transporting 2 million barrels of oil had sailed through international waters and the Strait of Hormuz with its tracking system switched on, “without any concealment.”

Data from the ship tracking website MarineTraffic.com show a number of vessels, including the crude oil tanker Alicia, making the journey through the strait overnight. The Chinese-owned Alicia has previously called at Iranian ports and was sanctioned under a previous name for carrying Iranian crude oil.

The Alicia was heading toward the Persian Gulf and reached the coast of Oman on Saturday, the day before the blockade was announced. It appeared to alter its course in the Gulf of Oman when the blockade began, but then continued through the Strait of Hormuz overnight Tuesday, along with at least two other oil tankers.

The crude oil tanker Alicia, which at the time was operating under a different name, is shown in a 2020 file photo. MarineTraffic.com/Igor Khanin

Two Iran-flagged container ships, both subject to U.S. sanctions, also appeared to leave the Persian Gulf Tuesday and were continuing to sail close to Iran’s south coast Wednesday.

The U.S. blockade, which came into effect on Monday, is being “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM said Sunday.

U.S. “forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports,” the military said.

On Wednesday, a U.S. official told CBS News that the blockade does not apply to sanctioned vessels unless they’re entering or departing Iranian ports. It is being enforced from the Gulf of Oman, which means some vessels departing from Iranian ports could make it through the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. military intends to prevent them from getting much further than that, the official said.

It was not clear from the MarineTraffic data whether the Alicia or any of the sanctioned vessels had docked at Iranian ports since the U.S. blockade came into effect. At least two vessels have turned off their transponders in recent days near Iran’s coastal waters, making them effectively invisible to open-source tracking services like MarineTraffic.

A CBS News analysis of ship tracking data from earlier this week appeared to show a number of other Iran-linked ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the hours after the blockade began on Monday.

A map shows major routes for energy resources and other trade from the Middle East to Asia, including the Bab el-Mandeb strait and the Strait of Hormuz. Getty/iStockphoto

One ship that crossed the strait after the blockade began on Monday — the Christianna — had previously stopped at the Iranian port of Bandar Imam Khomeini, at the far northern end of the Persian Gulf, tracking data show.

The Murlikishan, which is under U.S. sanctions over its connections to Iran, journeyed west through the strait overnight Monday, tracking data showed, along with another tanker, the Peace Gulf, which is not sanctioned by the U.S. but made a port call in Iran in December 2025.

The Rich Starry, a tanker sanctioned under a different name by the U.S., also sailed through the strait overnight Monday, while the Elpis, another sanctioned tanker, sailed through the strait after the blockade began, having apparently come from the Iranian port of Bushehr, according to tracking data.

Later Monday, ship tracking data showed the Rich Starry turning around, going back into the Strait of Hormuz and then turning its transponder off as it approached Iran’s Qeshm Island. On Tuesday, the Elpis stopped broadcasting its location near where the Rich Starry turned around.

CBS News cannot confirm that the ships have not been broadcasting false location reports — a practice called spoofing — to conceal their true whereabouts. It is also possible for a ship to broadcast that it is heading to one destination but for it to travel to a different port.

CBS News also cannot confirm the exact location of the blockade.

Three additional tankers, all of which are sanctioned, appeared positioned Wednesday morning to travel through the strait into the Persian Gulf.

“A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as U.S. forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East,” Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander, claimed in a statement shared online late Tuesday. “An estimated 90% of Iran’s economy is fueled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea.”

Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.

特朗普（左）多次抨击斯塔默（右）的政策，但声称与英国的紧张关系“绝不会”影响查尔斯三世本月对美国的国事访问。 （法新社）

美国总统特朗普以威胁废除英美贸易协议施压后，英国首相斯塔默星期三表明，英国不会在伊朗战争问题上屈服。

法新社报道，斯塔默星期三（4月15日）在国会上说：“我们不会被卷入这场战争。这不是我们的战争。我不会改变主意，我不会屈服。加入这场战争不符合我们的国家利益。”

特朗普早前接受天空新闻电访时，威胁要调整与英国达成的协议，这项协议旨在限制美国关税政策对英国的冲击。特朗普多次抨击斯塔默的政策，但声称与英国的紧张关系“绝不会”影响查尔斯三世本月对美国的国事访问。

伦敦与华盛顿去年达成贸易协议，将美国对大部分英国制品的关税上限定在10%。作为交换，英国同意进一步开放本国市场，增加进口美国乙醇和牛肉，引发国内忧虑。

当时，这项协议对伦敦相对有利，使英国享有美国给予的最低关税待遇之一。不过，自从美国最高法院推翻部分关税措施后，这一优势已经削弱。

Vance anti-fraud task force suspends 447 hospices in Los Angeles over more than $600M in suspected fraud

2026-04-15T08:02:29-04:00 / Fox News

White House warns fraudsters they cannot hide as suspension numbers and dollar values ‘are only going to increase’

By Preston Mizell Fox News

Published April 15, 2026 8:02am EDT

‘Fox News @ Night’ panelists discuss investigations into alleged fraud in California amid reports billions were lost under Gov. Gavin Newsom.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Listen to this article

5 min

FIRST ON FOX: The anti-fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance has suspended 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies suspected of fraud in Los Angeles, with a total fraud estimate of more than $600 million.

The number of suspensions is roughly a 539% increase from the 70 reported by Fox News Digital at the beginning of April.

“Where there is fraud, the task force will find it,” a spokesperson for Vance told Fox News Digital. “We will not stop until every hard-earned taxpayer dollar goes toward the honest Americans who deserve them.”

A White House official doubled down on Vance and the task force’s commitment to root out fraud, and sent a stark warning to those suspected of fraudulent activity.

VANCE TAPPED AS ‘FRAUD CZAR’ AS TRUMP TARGETS BLUE STATES OVER TAXPAYER THEFT

Vice President JD Vance, alongside Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz, speaks about combating fraud at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex on Feb. 25, 2026.(Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

LISTEN: CRIME & JUSTICE PODCAST ON SWALWELL SEX PROBE

“To all fraudsters: good luck trying to hide from the Vice President’s task force,” the White House official told Fox News Digital. “[The anti-fraud task force is] reviewing and pursuing every possible lead. These suspension numbers, and the dollar values saved, are only going to increase.”

The rising numbers add to the $259.5 million in Medicaid funds to Minnesota that Vance and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced plans to block in February.

The move followed Gov. Tim Walz’s January decision not to seek a third term, made amid growing scrutiny of fraud in state programs.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY FACES SCRUTINY AFTER ALLEGED WIDESPREAD HOSPICE FRAUD EXPOSED

The dramatic increase in suspected fraud and the more than half-billion in potential fraudulent activity is revealed by the anti-fraud task force as Democratic legislators in California are advancing a bill that would impose steep fines and potentially criminal charges for exposing information about immigrant service workers.

Federal agents prepare for a coordinated operation targeting a multimillion-dollar healthcare fraud network.(FBI)

Nick Shirley, an independent journalist who is known for exposing the Quality “Learing” Center and various other fraudulent healthcare centers largely owned and operated by Somali immigrants in Minnesota, lashed out at the bill, as he has recently set his sights on exposing fraud in California.

“California is trying to pass a bill that would criminalize investigative journalism with misdemeanors, $10,000 fines, imprisonment, and content takedown,” Shirley posted to X. “The proposed bill is titled AB 2624 and was made after I exposed mass fraud by immigrant groups in America.”

CALIFORNIA FRAUD CONCERNS RAMP UP AS MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MASSIVE SCHEME USING TAXPAYERS AS HIS ‘PIGGY BANK’

“Under AB 2624, government-funded entities like the Somali ‘Learing’ Daycare centers would be protected from being exposed if they operated inside California,” Shirley added. “The enemy truly is within. When our politicians would rather protect fraudsters and illegal migrants, it’s time for us to stand up or face mass oppression from the traitors who ‘rule’ over us.”

Independent journalist Nick Shirley speaks during a roundtable discussion in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 8, 2025.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The bill has already passed through one committee in the California assembly in an 11-2 vote.

AB 2624 was introduced by Democratic assemblywoman Mia Bonta, who is the wife of California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

‘WE’RE COMING AFTER YOU’: DR. OZ REVOKES MEDICARE ACCESS FOR LA DOCTOR TIED TO $71M HOSPICE BILLING

The bill’s official title states it is intended for the “privacy for immigration support services providers,” though GOP critics have dubbed the legislation the “Nick Shirley Act” after Shirley’s engagement with suspected fraud in California.

A view of the California State Capitol on August 19, 2025, in Sacramento, California.(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“This bill expands the Secretary of State’s Safe at Home program to allow designated immigration support services providers, employees, and volunteers who have experienced harm or threats of violence because of their work with immigrants to register allowing them to keep their addresses out of public records,” the California Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection committee hearing synopsis describes the legislation.

DOCTOR DENIES KNOWING ABOUT RAMPANT LA-AREA MEDICARE FRAUD USING HIS PROVIDER NUMBER

The California Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection is chaired by Assemblywoman Bonta.

Bonta has argued that “doxxing” businesses “isn’t journalism” and told KSBW8 that “this is a time when we absolutely need to make sure that people are able to be protected as they seek to do the good work to protect our immigrant communities.”

Republican California Assemblyman Carl DeMaio blasted the bill, saying it attempts to “intimidate” journalists.

CALIFORNIA BUILDING WITH DOZENS OF HEALTH CARE, HOSPICE PROVIDERS RAISES EYEBROWS AMID FRAUD SPECULATION

Quality Learning Center in Minnesota was identified as at the center of an alleged childcare fraud scandal in the state.(Madelin Fuerste/Fox News)

“California Democrats are trying to intimidate citizen watchdog journalists and protect waste and fraud happening in far-Left-wing NGOs,” DeMaio said in a statement. “AB 2624 can only be described as the ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’ — a bill designed to silence citizen journalists exposing fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars.”

“Instead of fixing the fraud problems being uncovered, Sacramento politicians are trying to shut down the people exposing them,” DeMaio added. “AB 2624 would allow activists and taxpayer-funded organizations to demand the removal of video evidence — even if it captures misconduct in plain view — and threatens journalists with massive financial penalties.”

Fox News Digital reached out to both Mia and Rob Bonta, Shirley and DeMaio but did not receive responses in time for publication.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

特朗普再次威胁解除美联储主席鲍威尔职务

2026年4月15日 22:29 / 联合早报

特朗普（左）的盟友一直希望，鲍威尔（右）在今年春季结束美联储主席任期时，也一并辞去理事会席位。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普说，如果美国联邦储备局主席鲍威尔不及时卸任，他将“不得不”解除鲍威尔职务。

特朗普在接受福克斯商业频道采访时说：“如果他不按时离职，我就只好解雇他。我一直忍着没有解除他的职务。我一直想解雇他，但我不想引起争议。”

鲍威尔的美联储主席任期将于5月到期，但其美联储理事职位任期将持续至2028年1月底。特朗普没有明确说明他准备在何时解雇鲍威尔。

特朗普的盟友一直希望，鲍威尔在今年春季结束美联储主席任期时，也一并辞去理事会席位。然而，鲍威尔曾表明，在美国司法部针对美联储和他的刑事调查以透明方式彻底结束前，自己无意离开美联储理事会。

美国司法部今年1月就美联储华盛顿总部翻新工程超支展开调查。鲍威尔称调查实质上是在惩罚美联储不遵从总统特朗普的货币政策要求。

鲍威尔当时说，如果新任美联储主席的提名没能及时得到国会参议院确认，自己将按照规定担任临时主席，直至新任主席提名得到确认。

但特朗普在采访中暗示，他并不打算结束这项调查。

他说：“不管是无能、腐败，还是两者兼而有之，我认为你都必须查清楚。我确实这么认为，我认为必须查清楚。”

特朗普再次威胁解除美联储主席鲍威尔职务

2026年4月15日 22:29 / 联合早报

特朗普（左）的盟友一直希望，鲍威尔（右）在今年春季结束美联储主席任期时，也一并辞去理事会席位。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普说，如果美国联邦储备局主席鲍威尔不及时卸任，他将“不得不”解除鲍威尔职务。

特朗普在接受福克斯商业频道采访时说：“如果他不按时离职，我就只好解雇他。我一直忍着没有解除他的职务。我一直想解雇他，但我不想引起争议。”

鲍威尔的美联储主席任期将于5月到期，但其美联储理事职位任期将持续至2028年1月底。特朗普没有明确说明他准备在何时解雇鲍威尔。

特朗普的盟友一直希望，鲍威尔在今年春季结束美联储主席任期时，也一并辞去理事会席位。然而，鲍威尔曾表明，在美国司法部针对美联储和他的刑事调查以透明方式彻底结束前，自己无意离开美联储理事会。

美国司法部今年1月就美联储华盛顿总部翻新工程超支展开调查。鲍威尔称调查实质上是在惩罚美联储不遵从总统特朗普的货币政策要求。

美联储主席提名人选沃什个人财产逾1亿美元
鲍威尔：美联储暂不因伊朗战争加息

鲍威尔当时说，如果新任美联储主席的提名没能及时得到国会参议院确认，自己将按照规定担任临时主席，直至新任主席提名得到确认。

但特朗普在采访中暗示，他并不打算结束这项调查。

他说：“不管是无能、腐败，还是两者兼而有之，我认为你都必须查清楚。我确实这么认为，我认为必须查清楚。”

日本宣布资助100亿美元 巩固东南亚重要物资供应链

2026年4月15日 22:51 / 联合早报

日本首相高市早苗星期三（4月15日）在东京首相官邸举行新闻发布会。 （法新社）

由于中东战争导致原油价格飙升并扰乱供应链，日本首相高市早苗星期三宣布为东南亚国家提供100亿美元（约127亿新元）的财政援助，投入总额相当于12亿桶原油和石油产品，约合本区域一年的原油进口量。

高市星期三（4月15日）在亚洲零排放共同体（AZEC）线上会议上说，日本将推动“亚洲电力”（Power Asia）合作伙伴关系，以加强能源供应链。这项计划将透过金融层面提供支持，总额约为100亿美元。

菲律宾、马来西亚、新加坡、泰国和越南等国的领导人出席了会议。

这项旨在防止对日本自身供应链产生连锁反应的财政援助，将主要通过日本国际协力银行（JBIC）和日本出口投资保险公司（NEXI）等国家支持的金融机构提供。

高市在新闻发布会上表示，日本依赖亚洲国家获取手术手套、导管及透析设备等医疗物资。“日本通过供应链和其他途径与亚洲其他国家紧密相连、相互依存。亚洲的燃料短缺和供应链中断将阻碍日本从亚洲采购这些医疗物资，这将对日本的经济和社会造成重大负面影响。”

她说：“支持亚洲国家的供应链反过来也会提振日本自身的经济。”

她指出，此次资助也着眼于在区域推进零排放等中长期目标，以应对能源资源采购多元化和稳定供应等紧迫挑战。

这项计划包括为当地企业提供信贷，以采购美国原油等替代资源，以及为日本供应链中的企业和政府提供融资和贷款。支持还包括帮助伙伴国家实现能源来源多元化，并通过建设储罐来增加其能源储备。

内阁官房长官木原稔星期三早前在新闻发布会上表示，日本正在考虑与亚细安各国开展互利合作，以确保石油产品供应，并加强供应链韧性。

日本自然资源能源厅数据显示，途经霍尔木兹海峡的原油约有90%是流向亚洲。自2月底以来，中东局势恶化，让东南亚一些国家的原油供应紧绷，如菲律宾的原油和石油产品储备可维持45天、越南可维持30天以及泰国可维持60天。

与日本相比，东南亚国家的石油储备较少，导致原油和石油产品如石脑油（一种重要的塑料原料）供应日益紧张。东南亚石油生产面临中断，加剧了依赖亚洲供应关键物资的日本医疗机构的担忧。

日本方面表示已确保国内约四个月的石脑油供应，但近日越来越多的生产商表示供应可能中断。日本政府星期三还表示，计划从5月初开始从国家石油储备中再释放3600万桶石油。

当被问及这次会议之后是否有国家要求使用日本的石油储备时，高市拒绝置评，但她强调，此次宣布的新合作关系不涉及日本战略原油储备的转移，也绝对不会对国内供需产生任何不利影响。