Two Congressional Bills Target License 135 for Russian Diesel Imports
Key Facts
U.S. lawmakers from both parties introduced separate bills targeting General License 135, which allows certain transactions involving Russian diesel, in a move testing Congress’s ability to limit exemptions from sanctions on Moscow. Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks introduced the “No Russian Dirty Dealings Act” on October 16, 2026. A week later, on October 23, Republican Brian Fitzpatrick introduced the “Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act.” Both bills seek to revoke the license issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, but add broader provisions covering future licenses and U.S. policy toward Russia’s energy sector. The license was issued on October 9 and authorizes certain transactions involving the sale, delivery, unloading and import of Russian diesel, including into the United States.
Fitzpatrick’s bill seeks to revoke License 135 immediately and would also bar future waivers or general licenses allowing imports of Russian energy products. Republican Representative Don Bacon and Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez have co-sponsored it since its introduction, bringing two members of different parties together behind the measure. The bill goes beyond imports: it requires relevant intelligence agencies to provide defense support to Ukraine and notify congressional intelligence committees within 24 hours of any interruption in that support. Fitzpatrick’s office said the deadline is intended to ensure Congress is quickly informed of any pause. The bill thus links a ban on Russian energy imports with the continuation of defense support for Ukraine.
Meeks’s bill goes beyond revoking the existing license to impose restrictions on financing, investment and sanctions. Its provisions would bar the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation from investing in Russia’s energy sector, revoke general licenses issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and prohibit new ones. It would also require the administration of President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on the sector. Meeks said the deal “will not lower costs for Americans,” adding that it would give Russian President Vladimir Putin money to continue the war. The statement appeared in a House Foreign Affairs Committee release and reflects Meeks’s political position on the deal. The bills’ differing scope creates two parallel legislative approaches: one links revoking the exemption to continued support for Ukraine, while the other imposes broader restrictions on Russian energy financing and sanctions policy.
The dispute follows an exemption that Roll Call described as lasting six months for Russian diesel purchases, while the terms of License 135 state that it expires on April 7, 2027. Critics of the measure had cited a federal law passed in 2022 that bans Russian energy imports; Fitzpatrick said the law remains in effect. The new license authorizes diesel-related transactions despite that ban, prompting lawmakers to seek revocation of the exemption and measures to prevent its recurrence. This conflict between the statutory ban and the executive license lies at the heart of the dispute before Congress. The legislative question now centers on whether the proposed restrictions will limit the administration’s ability to issue new exemptions.
The issue was accompanied by debate over fuel prices and the size of the announced supply. The Associated Press said the average U.S. price of a gallon of diesel was $6.28 when it published its report in October, after reaching $6.52 on September 22. The agency added that diesel futures prices fell after the deal was announced, while an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said its effect on prices was likely to be limited. According to Reuters, the quantity Trump announced for delivery, more than 300,000 metric tons, equals 2.25 million barrels. The report compares that with U.S. transportation sector consumption of about 2.94 million barrels a day, meaning the announced quantity is less than one day’s sector consumption.
Trump had until October 18, 2026, to impose or waive new broad sanctions and tariffs on Russian energy over the war in Ukraine, according to a Reuters report. That deadline fell before Fitzpatrick introduced his bill on October 23 and after Meeks introduced his on October 16. Including the deadline in the context of the dispute shifts attention from the current exemption to the administration’s authority over future sanctions. The two House initiatives call for revoking the existing license and restricting future licenses, while Meeks’s bill broadens the restrictions to investment and sanctions on the sector. The submitted materials do not specify a subsequent date for a vote on either bill.