Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced H.R. 10828 on 15 October 2026. Its official title reads: "To impose sanctions with respect to oil and gas extraction and refinement by the Russian Federation, and for other purposes." The bill arrived six days after the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 135, which authorises the sale, delivery, offloading and importation of Russian-origin diesel, including into the United States, until 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on 7 April 2027.

Congress.gov lists 14 original cosponsors, all Democrats: William Keating of Massachusetts, Ami Bera and Jim Costa of California, Dina Titus of Nevada, Jonathan Jackson and Bradley Schneider of Illinois, Gabe Amo of Rhode Island, Kweisi Mfume and Johnny Olszewski of Maryland, George Latimer of New York, Julie Johnson of Texas, Sarah McBride of Delaware, Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. The GovInfo bill-status record, last updated at 08:05 UTC on 16 October, shows no Republican cosponsor. No Republican office has publicly explained why none signed.

House Foreign Affairs holds primary jurisdiction. Five more committees received the bill the same day: Judiciary, Financial Services, Ways and Means, Rules, Oversight and Government Reform. The status record contains no legislative text and no press release from Meeks announcing the bill could be found, so whether H.R. 10828 directly bans Russian diesel imports or names General License 135 cannot yet be confirmed. Its title matches the sanctions section of an earlier Meeks bill, H.R. 8222, which targets Russian oil and gas extraction, refining and maritime transport.

The congressional response

Meeks and Keating introduced H.R. 8222, the End Russian Oil Windfalls Act, on 9 April 2026, after OFAC issued two licences in March allowing the delivery and sale of Russian crude and petroleum products already loaded on vessels. The bill would nullify General Licenses 133 and 134A and bar the Treasury secretary from authorising transactions incident to the sale, delivery or offloading of Russian crude or petroleum products. Four Democrats cosponsored it. Congress.gov records no committee markup and no Republican cosponsor.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats cited H.R. 8222 in a statement on 13 October condemning the diesel licence. The statement welcomed Republican criticism of the deal, said "condemnation alone is not enough" and added that most Republicans had refused to do more when they had the chance.

Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a Republican and co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, announced on X on 10 October that he would introduce bipartisan legislation to block all purchases of Russian oil under the name Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act. He wrote: "It will be forced to the Floor via discharge and it will pass overwhelmingly." Don Bacon of Nebraska wrote the same day that he had agreed to be an original cosponsor and that "Congress must make a stand."

Fitzpatrick's bill did not appear in the Congress.gov or GovInfo records reviewed for this article as of 16 October. No bill number, text or Democratic co-lead has been published. Most reports from 10 to 12 October described the measure as in preparation, although Ukrainska Pravda wrote on 12 October that it had been introduced. Without text, it is not possible to say whether it would revoke General License 135, restrict future presidential waivers or treat diesel separately from crude oil.

Discharge petitions need 218 signatures to force a floor vote without the Speaker's consent. Fitzpatrick and Bacon used the device earlier in 2026 to force a House vote on Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions, Axios reported. Under House Rule XV, a petition can be filed only after a bill has sat in committee for 30 legislative days, or seven legislative days for a special rule referred to the Rules Committee, and members can sign only while the House is sitting. One House Democrat told Axios they would sign and expected most Democratic colleagues to follow. An unnamed House Republican told Axios it was too early to commit with the House away for about four weeks.

Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire published a letter to Trump on 13 October signed by 12 senators. The Democrats were Blumenthal, Shaheen, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Chris Coons of Delaware. The Republicans were Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Cornyn of Texas. They asked Trump to withdraw from the agreement, rescind General License 135 and use the authorities in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. They wrote that the deal "is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies".

Seven senators had issued a joint statement on 11 October: Republicans Collins, Murkowski, Tillis and John Curtis of Utah, with Democrats Shaheen, Blumenthal and Ron Wyden of Oregon. They said the administration had neither consulted Congress nor submitted the explanation the 2022 import ban requires.

Jim Costa of California and Michael McCaul of Texas, the Foreign Affairs Committee's Republican chairman emeritus, led a letter on 15 October from 22 House members to Trump, copied to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Five Republicans signed: McCaul, Fitzpatrick, Bacon, Joe Wilson of South Carolina and Dan Newhouse of Washington. The other 17 signatories are Democrats whose full names had not been published in the sources reviewed. The letter asked the administration to revoke General License 135 and issue no further general licences reopening Russian energy trade. It also sought Graham Act designations against officials, oligarchs, banks, state enterprises, foreign banks and shadow fleet operators, along with an explanation of how the licence fits with the statutory import ban.

Costa also appears among the 14 cosponsors of H.R. 10828, filed the same day. None of the five Republicans on his letter cosponsored it.

Senate records reviewed for 1 to 16 October show no bill on Russian diesel, General License 135 or Russian energy sanctions.

Curtis and his co-signatories said Congress banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to stop US dollars financing the invasion. McCaul said he understood Trump's wish to bring down diesel prices but was concerned the deal would fuel Russian attacks, noting Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy sites after Trump declared an energy ceasefire. Bacon told Ukrainska Pravda the decision looked like weakness. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said there was "not a very high likelihood that it will actually be consummated". Trump said on 12 October that Republican critics "can't really be serious". No commitment from Speaker Mike Johnson or the Senate Republican leadership to schedule a vote on any related bill could be found.

The Russian diesel deal

Trump announced on Truth Social on 9 October that, after a call with Vladimir Putin, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to US and global markets, another 500,000 tonnes in November and 1,000,000 tonnes after that. He added that a further 3,000,000 tonnes could follow depending on the condition of Russian refineries. Putin's office said the call lasted about 90 minutes. Alexander Novak, Russia's deputy prime minister, said Russia would lift its diesel export ban early and that monthly supplies could later reach 3,000,000 tonnes.

300,000 tonnes equals roughly 2.2 million barrels. Reported totals for the whole arrangement range from 1.8 million to 4.8 million tonnes, depending on whether the conditional 3,000,000 tonnes is counted. CNBC calculated that 4.8 million tonnes would cover less than two weeks of US diesel demand.

Treasury said on X that OFAC issued the licence at Trump's direction to allow Russian diesel to reach the global market. US retail diesel was above $6 a gallon, according to The Hill, amid the US war with Iran and Ukrainian strikes that cut Russian refining. Russia had banned diesel exports in July and extended the ban to the end of October. The midterm elections fall on 3 November. Trump said on 12 October he had made "the right choice" and on 13 October called it "not a USA deal".

Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said on 15 October that Russian diesel exports were reaching world markets and the United States directly. No customs data, tanker-tracking report or OFAC record confirming that a Russian diesel cargo has entered a US port had been published as of 16 October. General License 135 permits transactions; it is not evidence that any purchase or delivery has taken place.

General License 135 covers transactions otherwise prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR part 587) and the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR part 589) that relate to Russian-origin diesel. It bars debits to accounts at US financial institutions held by Russia's central bank, National Wealth Fund or Ministry of Finance. Lloyd's List Intelligence reported that it says nothing about blocked vessels, bunkering or the price cap. Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer noted it does not mention the 2022 statute. The licence names no purchaser, supplier or vessel. UK and European Union bans on Russian diesel shipping and trade remain in force, Clyde & Co reported.

Russia has made no documented concession on the invasion. Trump announced an energy ceasefire on 11 October; Ukraine paused refinery strikes for about three days and Russia did not observe it, NPR reported.

The Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, Public Law 117-109, became law on 8 April 2022. Section 2 bans all Russian products under chapter 27 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which includes diesel, "in a manner consistent with" implementation actions under Executive Order 14066. Section 3 lets the president end the ban only by certifying in writing that Russia has agreed to withdraw its forces and cease hostilities in a deal accepted by Ukraine's government, poses no immediate military threat to any NATO member and recognises Ukrainians' right to choose their government. The president must consult the House Ways and Means and Foreign Affairs committees and the Senate Finance and Foreign Relations committees at least 45 days before certifying and submit a report. Termination takes effect 90 days after certification unless Congress enacts a joint resolution of disapproval. The statute contains no separate national-interest waiver.

Lloyd Doggett of Texas, the 2022 law's House sponsor, said on 12 October that the administration had lifted the ban "without satisfying the specific legal conditions it requires". Kristen Eichensehr of Harvard Law School told TIME the president had not followed "the process that the law sets out". Tillis told NBC's Meet the Press there was a "legitimate case" that Trump was not following the law. Shaheen wrote on 10 October that the administration appeared to have bypassed both consultation and review.

Scott Bessent told Fox News on 11 October that "we're going to do it with all the legal authorities we have" and that lawmakers citing either the 2022 law or the Graham Act were wrong. He did not name the authority. A White House official told Newsweek the administration would comply with the Graham Act. Neither Treasury nor the White House has said that a section 3 certification was sent to Congress.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer wrote that questions may arise over whether the licence can independently authorise imports covered by the statutory ban. Clyde & Co wrote that the licence sits in tension with the 2022 act and may face legal challenge. Section 2's reference to Executive Order 14066 implementation could support an argument that OFAC licences shape how the ban applies, though Treasury has not publicly advanced that reading. No lawsuit had been filed and no court had ruled as of 16 October.

The Graham Act, signed on 18 September, requires duties of up to 500 per cent on Russian goods, including petroleum products, and up to 100 per cent on goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude or gas, with first deadlines on 18 October. The president can waive any duty by certifying to Congress that a waiver serves the national interest. The act preserves Treasury's power to issue and extend general licences. General License 135 contains no exemption from the act's Section 112 duties. Meeks told the House Rules Committee on 15 September that "There are no safeguards around that waiver."

The money

Reuters valued the first 300,000 tonnes at about $400 million. The Carnegie Endowment estimated gross sales of about $7 billion for roughly 5 million tonnes over six months, but noted that the cash goes to companies, that the state budget receives only tax on any added profit and that Russia would have exported its surplus diesel regardless. Carnegie added that lower global diesel prices could reduce what the Russian budget pays producers under its domestic price-damping mechanism. An analyst identified by The Hill as Sawoski estimated $6.9 billion in export revenue, with about 7 per cent reaching the state through taxes, equal to one day of war spending or 14,000 Shahed drones. Alexander Kolyandr of Eurasia Group told the Financial Times the arrangement would add about $100 million to Russia's federal budget.

Isabelle Gilks of Wood Mackenzie said the volumes "should have very limited impact on US retail prices". Goldman Sachs estimated the October and November volumes would cut US wholesale diesel by $1 to $2 a barrel. The International Energy Agency reported that Russian refineries processed 3.8 million barrels a day in June 2026, the lowest in more than 20 years, with diesel output down almost 30 per cent.

Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia's largest oil companies, have been under US sanctions since late 2025. The licence's wording lifts part 587 prohibitions for diesel transactions, which would on its face reach dealings with designated companies, but no published analysis reviewed identifies which producers, traders, shipowners, insurers or banks are taking part. Peskov said Russia aims to restore diesel exports to 3.5 million tonnes a month by the end of 2026, above 10 per cent of the global market.

Ukraine

A US official told Axios on 10 October that Trump struck the deal after Volodymyr Zelensky ignored about six requests to stop refinery strikes, and that Ukraine had been warned about intelligence support. Zelensky told Axios he was blindsided and called the deal a gift to Putin. Zelensky also called it "a weak decision of strong partners", CNN reported. Trump said on 10 October he would suggest Ukraine get a new leader.

Zelensky told the Financial Times on 14 October that strikes on Russian refineries would resume and accused the US of withdrawing intelligence on Russian ballistic missiles and restricting Starlink terminals. Trump has denied that intelligence sharing stopped. Ukrainian drones hit a refinery in Russia's Ryazan region early on 15 October, a senior Ukrainian official confirmed to the Associated Press.

The political obstacles

Johnson sent the House home on 16 September for a campaign recess. The House is due to return on 9 November, after the elections, and Johnson said he would recall members on 48 hours' notice if the Senate moved important legislation. H.R. 10828 was introduced while the House was in recess.

A bill becomes law only with passage in both chambers and the president's signature, or a two-thirds vote in each chamber to override a veto. The House agreed to the Graham Act on 16 September by 262 to 159, short of two-thirds; the Senate passed it 86 to 11, above it. Every bill pending in the 119th Congress expires when it ends on 3 January 2027 and must be reintroduced in the 120th.

The 2022 act's expedited disapproval procedure applies only after a presidential certification under section 3. No certification has been reported, so that procedure has not been triggered.

What Congress has done

House Democrats have filed one bill, H.R. 10828, with no published text and no Republican cosponsor. Fitzpatrick has announced a second bill and a discharge petition, neither of which appears in congressional records. Letters have come from 12 senators and 22 House members. No committee has scheduled a hearing or markup on any of the October measures in records reviewed, no discharge petition has been filed and no member has sued. H.R. 8222, Doggett's H.R. 7095 and McCaul's H.R. 7506 remain in committee where they were referred between January and April.

The Graham Act's first sanctions and tariff deadlines fall on 18 October. General License 135 remains valid until 12:01 a.m. EDT on 7 April 2027, more than three months after the 119th Congress ends.