WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s plan to allow Russian diesel imports may violate federal law, putting the North Carolina Republican at the center of a bipartisan challenge to the administration’s energy policy.
Tillis told NBC’s “Meet the Press” there is “a legitimate case” that the president is not following the law if the administration carries out the purchase plan. He said Russia remains the aggressor in its war against Ukraine and argued that buying Russian fuel could weaken pressure on Moscow.
Tillis also joined Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and John Curtis of Utah, along with Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ron Wyden of Oregon, in a statement urging the administration to “immediately reverse course.”
The senators said Congress banned Russian energy imports in 2022 and that the administration had not provided the consultation or legal explanation required for changing course. Their statement said allowing the purchases would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a financial lifeline while the war continues.
Trump announced Friday that Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately, followed by additional shipments totaling several million tons. The administration says the arrangement is intended to lower diesel prices, which affect trucking, agriculture and home heating.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the plan Sunday, saying the administration would use existing legal authority and that the agreement would bring costs down. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, said Trump was balancing competing concerns but also urged enforcement of a sanctions law Congress passed last month.
The dispute adds a North Carolina voice to a national fight over energy prices, presidential authority and U.S. policy toward Russia. Tillis is retiring when his term ends in January. His willingness to challenge a president of his own party could shape how North Carolina candidates discuss the issue in the final weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm election.
Sources
- U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee: bipartisan statement on Russian diesel imports, Oct. 11
- Associated Press: bipartisan Senate statement, Oct. 11
- Reuters: Tillis interview and administration response, Oct. 11
Photo Credit: Renee Bouchard/U.S. Senate Photographic Studio via Wikimedia Commons. Official 2022 portrait; public domain as a work of the U.S. federal government. Source.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.