Two Congressional Bills Would Revoke Russian Diesel License Allowing Shipments Through April 2027

Key Facts

U.S. lawmakers have introduced two bills to revoke a license allowing transactions involving Russian diesel imports into the United States through April 7, 2027, putting the Treasury Department’s exemption at odds with the law banning Russian oil imports. The House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks’s bill on October 16, 2026, and Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick announced his bill on October 23. Both measures seek to restrict the exemption’s continuation, but take different approaches to Russian energy. Meeks’s bill broadens restrictions to investment, licenses and sanctions on the sector, while Fitzpatrick’s bill ties a ban on imports to defensive intelligence support for Ukraine. The move follows the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s issuance of General License 135 on October 9.

Meeks’s bill bars the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation from investing in Russia’s energy sector, revokes general licenses issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, bars future licenses and requires the Donald Trump administration to impose sanctions on the sector. Meeks said in a House Foreign Affairs Committee statement that the deal “will not lower costs for the American people” and “will give Putin millions of dollars.” The statement reflects the lawmaker’s position on the deal his bill seeks to overturn, not an independent economic finding. The bill’s provisions go beyond ending the current authorization, seeking to narrow investment, licensing and sanctions options related to Russian energy. Its scope therefore extends to policy toward the sector beyond the shipment authorized by the license.

Fitzpatrick’s bill, introduced on October 23 with Representatives Don Bacon and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, seeks to make License 135 immediately ineffective and bar future waivers or general licenses allowing Russian energy imports. It also bars the Treasury Department from spending funds on agreements that violate the 2022 law banning Russian oil imports. The bill adds a security track to the trade restrictions by requiring defensive intelligence support for Ukraine. If that support is interrupted, the congressional intelligence committees must be notified within 24 hours. The bill’s structure shows its sponsors want to link continued defensive assistance to Kyiv with ending exemptions that allow Russian energy to flow.

General License 135 was issued on October 9 and authorizes transactions related to the sale, delivery, unloading and import of Russian diesel, including into the United States, until 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 7, 2027. The license specifies an expiration date, while the 2022 law banning Russian oil imports remains central to the legislative objections. Fitzpatrick’s bill says the Treasury Department should not fund agreements that violate that law, and both measures seek to prevent the exemptions from recurring. After its introduction, Fitzpatrick’s bill was referred to the House Ways and Means, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees. The record provided does not specify a date for a vote on either bill.

The debate came as the average U.S. diesel price remained high, at $6.28 per gallon at the time of an Associated Press report in October, after reaching a record $6.52 on September 22. The agency said diesel futures fell after the supply announcement, but experts questioned whether increased Russian supply would have a significant effect on prices in the United States or globally. Twelve senators, including six Republicans and six Democrats, also said allowing Russian diesel into the country would have little effect on fuel prices and that the revenue would support Russia’s war effort. That objection puts estimates of the shipments’ price impact at the center of the political debate, alongside opposition to directing their proceeds to Russia. The statements do not provide a unified forecast for future price movements.

The Associated Press reported that Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons in the initial shipment, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons afterward, in addition to 3 million tons over a short period, according to an announcement by President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, data cited by Reuters showed Russian diesel production fell to about 160,000 tons per day in the first half of October, from 175,000 tons per day in September, then began rising toward 180,000 tons per day after export quotas were granted in mid-month. Russian domestic consumption typically fell to about 140,000 tons per day in October, leaving, according to sources, at least 40,000 tons per day or more than 1 million tons per month available for export before the needs of neighboring countries. On October 23, tracking systems showed a Malta-flagged tanker carrying 40,000 tons of Russian diesel bound for New York. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said talk of extending the license was premature and that Russia was working on agreements to export diesel.