The AP reports that a bipartisan group of US Senators is now calling for POTUS to abandon his Russian diesel plan.
Four Republican senators and two Democratic senators now called for President Donald Trump's administration to “immediately reverse course” on a plan to purchase diesel from Russia as part of an effort to lower high fuel prices.
Trump shocked lawmakers when he announced on social media Friday that he struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call. He said Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the American and global market, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.”
In a statement protesting the deal, the six senators said the administration 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,” they wrote. The lawmakers also noted that Congress explicitly banned Russia energy imports in 2022. The Republican senators who signed onto the statement are Senatorss. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Curtis of Utah.
Energy experts say the Russia deal is unlikely to make a dent in high prices at the pump. Richard Nephew, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, noted that the total amount of diesel appears to be less than what the U.S. uses in a day.
