Trump Rejects Diesel Export Ban Amid Record Fuel Prices

National diesel prices reached a record average of $6.51 per gallon on September 21, doubling costs from the previous year and creating severe financial pressure for American farmers and truckers. The surge is driven by global supply disruptions, including Ukrainian drone strikes that disabled roughly 30% of Russian refining capacity and a conflict with Iran that has slowed oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a trickle.

Donald Trump is facing intense pressure from Republican allies to intervene. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa has repeatedly urged a full embargo on diesel exports, comparing the move to agricultural bans of the 1970s and current chip embargoes against China. Other officials, including Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, have called for a temporary 90-day ban. While Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed openness to federal actions to reduce price pressure, the administration has remained resistant.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has dismissed the proposal, arguing that restricting exports would not lower consumer prices and could provoke retaliation from trading partners. The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers warned that such a ban would force refiners to scale back output, potentially shrinking overall supply. Meanwhile, some lawmakers have linked the agricultural crisis to administration policies on tariffs and trade, while Democrats attribute the fuel costs to the president's decision to enter the conflict with Iran.