Representative John Garamendi said President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel, handing Putin hundreds of millions of dollars. He said this won’t lower prices at the pump, it’ll only fund Putin’s war on Ukraine all while Russia helps Iran target American troops. He said reverse this decision immediately. He posted the statement on Wednesday and linked a Politico report on Senate opposition.
“Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel, handing Putin hundreds of millions of dollars,” Garamendi wrote Wednesday. “This won’t lower prices at the pump, it’ll only fund Putin’s war on Ukraine all while Russia helps Iran target American troops. Reverse this decision immediately.” The post does not cite a dollar figure source or a volume. No matching release appeared on his congressional site. The characterizations are his.
The license is the lifting on the record. The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License No. 135 on Oct. 9. The license text authorizes, except as provided in paragraph (b), all transactions prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations or the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations that are related to the sale, delivery, offloading, or importation, including into the United States, of diesel fuel of Russian Federation origin, through 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 7, 2027. Paragraph (b) excludes certain Central Bank and related accounts. It does not mention hundreds of millions of dollars or Ukraine. Garamendi’s post treats the license as handing Putin that sum. The license does not address the claim.
The Graham Act was signed weeks earlier. A White House notice said the president signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, H.R. 5334, Public Law 119-111, on Sept. 18. The act expands sanctions on Russia. Member descriptions include termination conditions requiring a presidential certification that Russia has ceased hostilities and signed a peace agreement accepted by Ukraine. No such certification is on a White House page. Garamendi’s post calls for immediate reversal. It does not cite the act.
Diesel retail prices are on the Energy Information Administration record. The EIA daily prices page for Oct. 13 shows the U.S. average retail diesel price at $6.30 a gallon. Garamendi’s post states the license will not lower prices at the pump. That characterization is his. The page does not attribute any price movement to the license.
No Treasury or White House release posted this week answers Garamendi’s call for reversal or addresses the hundreds of millions figure. The license remains in effect. Garamendi’s post links the license to funding Putin’s war and to Russian assistance to Iran targeting American troops. Those linkages are his.
Other members have called for rescission of the license this week. Those posts are on their accounts. Garamendi’s post does not cite them. It is limited to the lifting, the revenue claim, the price effect, and the call for immediate reversal.
“Handing Putin hundreds of millions of dollars,” “won’t lower prices at the pump,” and “reverse this decision immediately” are Garamendi’s. The Oct. 9 license, the Sept. 18 White House signing notice, the EIA price page, and the absence of a certification under the Graham Act are the records. The gap is between a representative describing the license as handing Putin hundreds of millions and the absence of an official quantification or a White House response on a government page.