US bill targets Trump-Russia diesel deal

A bipartisan bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives on Friday to block President Donald Trump's deal with Russia on diesel fuel purchases and imports. Representative Gregory W. Meeks, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the legislation prohibiting transactions with Russian oil. The bill would bar the International Development Finance Corporation from investing in Russian energy, revoke existing licenses from the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, and mandate sanctions. The deal followed an October 9 phone call between Trump and Vladimir Putin, with the US Treasury quickly issuing a license for Russian diesel sales. Meeks argued the agreement fails to lower costs for Americans already paying for Trump's "failed war in Iran." Several Democrats and one Republican co-sponsored the bill.