WASHINGTON — Rep. Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, accused President Donald Trump on Wednesday of treating U.S. national security as a bargaining chip. He said the stated reason for easing sanctions on Russian diesel was to lower prices, yet those prices are still rising while Russian President Vladimir Putin grows richer. The post on X came hours after the government’s latest inflation report showed energy costs driving consumer prices higher.
Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, published the following post on X at 12:41 p.m. on Oct. 14, 2026:
“Trump’s “logic” behind lifting sanctions was to lower diesel prices. But they’re still rising—and Putin is only getting richer.
America isn’t one of Trump’s failed casinos. Our national security can never be a bargaining chip for political expediency or approval ratings.”
The Inflation Data Behind the Post
Pallone attached to the post a report from NBC News on the September inflation figures, which found that diesel fuel used by farmers and truckers is up more than 75% since the start of the Iran war in late winter. The report said economists warn that higher diesel costs trickle down into “just about everything.” It also said oil has climbed to more than $105 per barrel from about $80 since August, and that regular gasoline remains up more than 45% since late February.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the Consumer Price Index rose 0.6% in September on a seasonally adjusted basis after a 0.4% increase in August. Over the past 12 months, the all-items index rose 3.7%, up from 3.4% in the 12 months ending in August. The gasoline index jumped 9.1% in September and accounted for over half of the monthly increase. The energy index is up 20.4% over the year, with gasoline up 34.2% and airline fares up 22.4%.
Trump’s Russian Diesel Deal
The sanctions relief Pallone criticized stems from an announcement Trump made on Friday, Oct. 9. Trump said he had struck a deal with Putin in a phone call under which Russia would release diesel onto the global market, with hundreds of thousands of tons to flow immediately. A further 3 million tons would follow depending on the condition of Russian refineries. Trump said lowering prices for farmers, ranchers and truckers was his “Greatest Priority.” The Treasury Department simultaneously issued a general license easing sanctions on Russian diesel until April 2027, the longest such waiver since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The reversal came less than a month after Trump signed the Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 on Sept. 18. The law, which passed the House 262-159 and the Senate 86-11, targets Russia’s energy sector, banks and “shadow fleet” of oil tankers. It also authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on the largest buyers of Russian energy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the diesel deal, calling the sanctions easing “an obvious weakness” and warning that relief without a Russian commitment to de-escalate would only prolong the war.
Pallone’s post followed a wave of criticism from both parties. On Tuesday, a dozen senators, six Republicans and six Democrats, sent Trump a letter calling the deal “a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies” and saying it should be rescinded. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said in a statement that the deal would do little for Americans at the pump while helping fund Putin’s war on Ukraine. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), chief sponsor of a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports, argued Monday that Trump is “directly violating that law.”
Pallone’s Record on the Iran War
Pallone has opposed the Iran war since its first day. After U.S. strikes began on Feb. 28, he issued a statement saying, “Trump is the warmonger. He is causing the violence.” He added that the Constitution gives Congress, not the president alone, the power to declare war.
On March 5, Pallone voted for a House War Powers Resolution, saying he did so because “only Congress can declare war.” He compared the moment to 2002, when he voted against authorizing the Iraq War. The House has since voted on the issue more than once. In July it approved a measure to halt the war absent congressional approval, 214-208, with four Republicans joining Democrats, while a Senate effort failed 47-49 the same day.
Pallone tied the war to household costs early. In late March, he held a teletown hall with more than 10,400 constituents and said New Jersey residents “are right to be angry” about rising costs. At an April 15 Energy and Commerce hearing with Energy Secretary Chris Wright, his opening statement called the war an “unequivocal disaster” and said drivers were paying more than $4 per gallon.
In May, Pallone joined Reps. Robert Garcia, Andrea Craig, Jared Huffman and Don Beyer in a letter to Trump demanding answers on how the war was driving up costs for American families. The letter called the decision to go to war “reckless” and said the consequences were “increasingly falling on the American public.” At a June 3 hearing, Pallone said diesel prices had risen nearly 50% since the war began, hurting farmers, home builders and manufacturers.
Positions on Russia and Ukraine
Pallone’s criticism of Putin predates the current conflict. On the day Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, he said the United States must “treat Putin as the bloodthirsty autocrat that he is.” In August 2022, he used X to applaud Treasury actions against Turkish businesses helping Russia evade sanctions, and urged Europe to do more.
Democrats were divided on the September sanctions law itself. House Democratic leaders urged a “no” vote, arguing that Trump “has shown no willingness to be strong on Russia” and should not be handed expanded tariff powers. Fifty-eight Democrats voted for the bill anyway. The administration’s diesel move has since prompted some Democrats to say they were right to worry about how Trump would use the law.
The White House Position and the Political Stakes
Trump has defended the deal as a way to ease global supply pressure, saying the diesel would be “released into the world for the world market.” He has also dismissed the cost of the Iran war to consumers. At a North Carolina rally in September, he called higher gasoline prices “a very inexpensive price to pay.”
The timing is politically sensitive. Early voting is under way ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, and polls consistently show inflation and the cost of living as top voter concerns. On Polymarket, the odds of Democrats winning the House stand at 91%. The Federal Reserve has raised rates once this year, is expected to raise them again in December, and could move as soon as its Oct. 27-28 meeting if inflation runs hot.