Trump backs push for a ban on US diesel exports
Retail diesel has climbed above $6.50 a gallon for the first time, and Republican lawmakers including Sullivan are pushing for the ban.
Published · Updated
UpdateTuesday, September 22, 2026 at 2:05 PM ET
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has called for a 90-day diesel export ban, Senator Chuck Grassley has demanded an outright embargo, and Representative Tim Burchett has introduced legislation to bar diesel shipments abroad, CNN reports. AAA data cited by TFTC puts retail diesel at $6.51 a gallon as of Monday, about 75% above pre-war levels, while quarterly earnings at Valero, Marathon Petroleum and Phillips 66 have nearly quadrupled from a year earlier, according to Bloomberg. Not all Republicans or analysts agree a ban would help. The Dallas Fed's Garrett Golding told CNN that higher global diesel prices could 'boomerang back' onto US coasts, and GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan warned a ban would
UpdateTuesday, September 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the administration is examining whether to restrict diesel exports. That statement comes a day after the White House said no such move was under consideration.
President Trump has thrown his support behind a Republican push to ban diesel exports from the United States, saying he has called for that as well.
The comments come days after Trump said oil is flowing at peak levels, a claim that sits alongside his push for a ban on exports of a fuel refined from that same oil.
Trump's backing fits his broader stance on energy nationalism, but it carries limited immediate market weight. He is also pushing to raise domestic oil output and pursuing prospects for an Iran deal, and either could offset any supply squeeze from an export ban. For now, the move reads more as rhetorical reinforcement of a position he has taken before than as a fresh policy shift.