Six senators from both parties demand Trump reverse his Russian diesel purchase

The immediate part of the deal is also the smallest part of it. Counting the tranches Trump listed, the schedule comes to at least 4.8 million tons ^[11]. The opening 300,000 tons is roughly 6% of that ^[12]. The largest tranche, 3 million tons or 62.5% of the total, is tied only to Trump's phrase "within a short period of time" ^[13][4]. Only the November tranche carries a calendar month ^[4].

Price relief from even the full schedule looks small. Energy experts say the deal is unlikely to make a dent in pump prices, according to the Associated Press ^[17]. By the reckoning of Richard Nephew, a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, all the diesel in the deal put together seems to come to less than a single day of U.S. consumption ^[18]. The stated purpose of the plan was to lower high fuel prices ^[1]. Trump has recently sought to blame record U.S. diesel prices on Ukraine, while the U.S.-led war in Iran has elevated world energy prices ^[20].

The senators put their weight on the law. They wrote: "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." They added: "President Trump's decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law." ^[14] Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that there is a legitimate case the president is not following the law if the administration goes through with the purchase ^[15]. The AP report does not include a White House answer on the statutory claim or describe how the purchase would be carried out.

The defense came from Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. Asked on CBS's "Face the Nation" whether the action would violate U.S. law, he said: "The president is balancing and has to make tough decisions." ^[7] He also called the purchase "just another point of leverage for the president to use against Putin" ^[8]. In our view, leverage depends on Russia giving something up, and a purchase pays Russia. The six senators wrote: "The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians." ^[9] Barrasso himself encouraged Trump to enforce the sanctions law Congress passed last month ^[10].

The first 300,000 tons set the terms for the November 500,000 ^[3][4]. If the first shipment goes ahead, we'd expect the senators' statutory objection to stop being about a social media post and start being about cargo already delivered. For anyone budgeting diesel this quarter, the first tranche is the only volume with an immediate delivery promise attached.

Nephew also argued that Iran and Russia might benefit more than the U.S. He said: "The Iranians are probably very excited because it shows that there's a lot of pressure still on the U.S. And the Russians are excited because it puts a big hole in the sanctions regime." ^[19]