What Happened?

Diesel costs about $6.23 a gallon, close to a record, and President Trump says Russian fuel will help bring that down. Lawmakers in both parties say buying it runs into two laws meant to keep American money from paying for Russia’s war in Ukraine, including one Trump signed less than a month ago. ​

President Trump announced Friday, Oct. 9, that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, with more to follow, and the Treasury Department exempted that diesel from U.S. sanctions until April 2027, OPB and NPR reported. Lawmakers pushed back within days, according to a Legis1 report.

Why Does It Matter To Me?

Diesel runs the trucks, tractors and trains that move food and goods. Prices are this high because of the war the U.S. and Israel launched on Iran on Feb. 28, which led Iran to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for the world’s oil, Al Jazeera reported.

Trump has said Iran was about two weeks from a nuclear weapon when the strikes began. But Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told senators in March that Iran had made no effort to rebuild its uranium enrichment since 2025, and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said there was “no evidence of Iran building a nuclear bomb,” Time reported.

Two laws stand in the way of the deal. The 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act bans Russian fuel imports until a president certifies that Russia has agreed to leave Ukraine, and Congress then gets 90 days to object. The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, signed Friday, Sept. 18, requires sanctions on Russia’s biggest banks and “shadow fleet” oil tankers by Sunday, Oct. 18, unless the president tells Congress a waiver serves the national interest, according to Sullivan & Cromwell.

Both Sides, Now

“Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine,” seven senators, four Republicans and three Democrats led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), said in a joint statement. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) warned the deal lets Russia “rake in revenues.” Russia has also been helping Iran fight U.S. forces, giving Tehran information that could help it target American warships, U.S. officials told the Associated Press in March.

Trump isn’t budging. “I made the right choice for the American People,” he wrote Monday, Oct. 12, arguing the European Union has paid Russia $250 billion for energy, ABC News reported. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) have backed the deal.

What Happens Next?

The next test is Oct. 18, when the Graham law’s sanctions deadline hits. Skipping those sanctions would require Trump to send Congress a written certification, and lawmakers can’t vote on anything until they return Monday, Nov. 9.

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