Representative Greg Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, rolled out the measure aimed at the diesel deal, blocking specific types of investment in Russia's energy industry and revoking existing as well as forthcoming Treasury licenses connected to Russian energy sales. The proposal would further require that certain sanctions on Russian energy be imposed by law.
Meeks said Trump was "cozying up to Putin" and handing him "millions of dollars to continue slaughtering Ukrainian civilians with impunity." Retiring Republican Don Bacon of Nebraska signed on as a co-sponsor after blasting Trump over the diesel deal and comparing him to Neville Chamberlain.
Republican Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania had earlier said he would introduce a bill to prohibit buying any Russian oil, but he did not appear on the list of co-sponsors Meeks released Friday.
Getting this to law would likely mean mustering the votes to overcome a potential veto from Trump if the bill reaches his desk. GOP leaders have not joined an effort to curb the president on the deal, and the Republican-controlled Congress is away until after the midterms.
In 2022, after Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Congress passed a law that forbids importing Russian oil. Diesel and gasoline prices have since become a major political drag for Republicans heading into the elections.
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Energy markets nudged higher after the bill surfaced; futures for crude oil, gasoline, and diesel each ticked up as traders also weighed ongoing worries about oil supply from the Middle East. For now, Trump's plan to bring Russian diesel to U.S. and global buyers is broadly expected to have little immediate effect on prices.
Russian officials have said diesel exports could resume by year end, which would narrow global shortages if it happens. But ongoing Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries make those commitments uncertain. If that supply does not show up, elevated demand for U.S. crude and U.S.-made diesel would likely persist.
Trump defended the agreement on Friday, telling reporters at the White House, "They'll release some diesel oil out. So it's it's a nice thing to have."
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