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President Donald Trump drew the ire of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle this weekend when he struck a deal for diesel with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Trump announced Friday, October 9, that Putin had agreed to supply millions of tons of diesel to global markets, arguing it would help drop fuel prices ahead of the midterms. The backlash was fast and fierce – and bipartisan. On Sunday, seven senators of the Foreign Relations Committee condemned the deal. A day earlier, a Republican representative in the House proposed a bill to forbid it.
Trump’s Diesel Deal
“It was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter,” President Trump posted to Truth Social Friday after what he called a “highly successful discussion” with Putin. He added that, based on Russia’s refinery capacity, he expects another 3 million tons to eventually hit the market.
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“Diesel Prices for Americans, and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!” he added.
According to the White House, the Treasury Department issued a general license to Russia authorizing the “sale, delivery, offloading, and importation of diesel fuel of Russian Federation origin.”
Bipartisan Backlash
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) announced Saturday that he would be introducing a “bipartisan bill” once Congress returns from recess to stop Trump from lifting the sanctions on Russian oil. “It will be called the ‘Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act,’” Fitzpatrick announced on social media.
He added that he plans to force a vote on the bill through a discharge petition and that “it will overwhelmingly” pass. “I’ve already agreed to be an original cosponsor,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) declared in response, adding that “Congress must make a stand.”
While it remains unclear what Democrats will back the bill, some have spoken out against the diesel deal. “After signing a law to ramp up sanctions on Russia, Trump is paying Putin for oil to deal with the high gas prices caused by his choice of war with Iran? That’s not punishing Putin,” argued Rep. Greg Amo (D-RI) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, “that’s profit. Make it make sense.”
A bipartisan group of seven senators spoke out against the deal as well. “Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine,” the group said in a statement released Sunday. “Congress was clear: the U.S. should not import oil from Russia until it ends its aggression against Ukraine and ceases threats against our NATO allies.”
The statement was signed by Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Murkwoski (R-AK), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and John Curtis (R-UT).
“President Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law,” the lawmakers continued. “The Administration has failed to consult with Congress or submit any explanation to justify its decision as required by statute.”
The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians,” the statement concluded. “The Administration must immediately reverse course.”
Separately, Sen. Tillis railed against the deal and called it an insult to the late Lindsey Graham. “The president needs to move forward with the sanctions bill that we sent him,” he told NBC News. “This agreement with pursuing Russian oil is, essentially, I think, tarnishing Lindsey Graham’s efforts to try and get the sanctions bill through.”
Are Lower Prices Worth the Cost?
Of course, such statements – and Rep. Fitzpatrick’s threat of looming legislation – don’t have any teeth until Congress returns after the midterms and starts voting. And eight lawmakers out of hundreds won’t pass a bill even then.
Assuming the president doesn’t cave to the backlash, this deal will go through. America will buy Russian diesel, and, at least in theory, overall fuel prices will go down. In fact, with fuel prices down, the cost of most things will likely ease back a bit as well. Whether that will result in voters deciding to keep the GOP in power, though, may be a bit more complicated.
For one thing, the optics of this deal are horrible. The US stopped buying Russian oil shortly after Putin invaded Ukraine – a war that still rages on today. It isn’t that big of a leap to assume that the money America and the rest of the world sends Russia for fuel will in turn fuel that war effort. This is especially damning in light of Trump’s insistence that more expensive fuel is just the price we have to pay to open the Strait of Hormuz and keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky bashed the deal as well, and Trump’s response was that maybe it’s time Ukraine got a new leader. There are many who would interpret that as tacit support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
And for those who aren’t left with a foul taste in their mouths at the cost of these lower prices, what of the Republican lawmakers speaking out against it? Trump isn’t up for re-election – but some of them are.
If the US buys hundreds of thousands of tons of cheap diesel from Russia, domestic fuel and even grocery prices likely will drop. But the money paid to Putin will almost certainly result in more Ukrainian lives lost. And however the midterms shake out, Trump may find himself facing a much less friendly Congress for the rest of his term.
