President Trump Backs MAJOR Move to Slash Diesel Prices Nationwide

IT'S OFFICIAL: President Trump is formally examining BANNING DIESEL EXPORTS from the United States, which could lower prices domestically as Russia-Ukraine continue to blow up refineries

SCOTT BESSENT: We will determine whether a full or partial ban will work.

47 says… pic.twitter.com/0haDk3yrvX

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 22, 2026

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The average price of diesel, which powers tractors and trucks alike, was averaging about $6.53 cents per gallon on Tuesday, according to AAA, up about 93 cents from this time last month and $2.84 from this time last year.

Experts recently told The Hill that high diesel prices were due to both higher prices of oil — stemming from instability over the U.S.-Iran conflict — and damage to refineries that turn oil into fuels caused by both the U.S.-Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars.

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Catch up quick: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) recently proposed blocking diesel exports, hoping to lower prices domestically, and other farm-state Republicans quickly signed on too.

• Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), who faces a competitive re-election race, called for a diesel ban Monday while slamming the war in Iran.
• Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said last week that he was “open” to an export ban.

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Energy experts have warned that an export ban would drive prices lower only temporarily, but would force oil producers to stop drilling as the export market disappears. It would also drive up diesel prices in the global market, which is already short of supply after Ukraine destroyed Russian refineries and Iran damaged fuel manufacturers in the Middle East.

“Higher diesel prices are a concern, but the main driver of the higher prices is the war in Iran,” said Gbenga Ajilore, chief economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities think tank and former senior adviser for rural development at the Agriculture Department in the Biden administration. “End the war in Iran, open up the Strait of Hormuz, and diesel prices will fall. Any other solution will fail.”

Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, which represents oil producers, said in a statement that export restrictions “risk making a difficult situation worse.”

“Americans are hurting from rising diesel costs driven by an unprecedented disruption to global refining capacity,” he said. “We understand the administration is looking at every option to deliver relief, but restricting U.S. energy exports would only compound the problem—exacerbating refining challenges and ultimately hurting consumers.”

Geoff Moody, senior vice president of government relations and policy at the refiners group American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, added in a statement that a diesel export ban would “backfire.”

“There is no upside, which is why administrations from both parties have repeatedly opted against fuel export bans,” Moody said.

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