House Democrat files bipartisan bill targeting Trump’s Russian diesel deal

A House Democrat has introduced legislation to block President Donald Trump’s proposed deal to buy Russian diesel, Politico reported on Friday. The Prohibit Corrupt Russia Oil Deals Act, from Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, would reverse a Treasury Department general license allowing the sale and importation of Russian diesel into the United States through April 2027.

The bill has 16 Democratic co-sponsors and Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska. It would also bar the U.S. International Development Finance Corp. from investing in Russian energy. “This deal won’t lower costs for the American people, who are already paying for Trump’s failed war of choice in Iran,” Meeks said in a statement. “It will hand Putin millions of dollars to continue slaughtering Ukrainian civilians with impunity.”

Trump announced the deal last week to ease record-high fuel prices. Diesel averaged around $6.33 per gallon nationally on Friday, according to the American Automobile Association.