Senators reportedly intend to derail President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russia, meant to lower prices at home
Democrats’ vehement opposition to the diesel deal that US President Donald Trump struck with Russia earlier this month proves they do not care about Americans’ well-being, guests have told RT.
According to recent media reports, a group of Senate Democrats are working on ways to block the arrangement that is meant to rein in skyrocketing diesel prices in the US, while a Republican Russia hawk has put forward legislation to nullify Trump’s efforts.
READ MORE: Democrats want to kill Trump’s diesel deal. Working Americans will pay the price
Speaking to RT on Saturday, American journalist John Varoli said that Democrats are engaged in a “political witch hunt” and so have no qualms about targeting a deal that is “in the interest of the American people.”
He predicted that should Democrats prevail in next month’s midterm elections, they would do “everything possible just to ruin this deal and to inhibit it” for purely ideological reasons.
American broadcaster Garland Nixon concurred that driven by “ideological anger at Russia,” Democrats are showing a disregard for the plight of American consumers.
“At this point, what we’re seeing [is that Democrats] are totally ignoring domestic issues, domestic policy, totally ignoring the working class, and they’re focusing only on foreign policy,” Nixon told RT.
He warned that if left unchecked, rising fuel prices could plunge the US economy into a “severe recession.”
Legal and media analyst Lionel told RT that opinion polls that predict a Democratic victory in the midterms should be taken with a grain of salt. He argued that American voters could punish the party for its efforts to undermine the diesel deal.
“This is political suicide to proceed with this,” he added.
Since diesel is extensively used in agriculture and freight, its price has a direct impact on the cost of numerous other goods. Farmers and truckers are particularly vulnerable to diesel price spikes.
Amid global energy supply chain disruptions caused by the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, as well as the Ukraine conflict, diesel prices have risen considerably in the US, hitting a record $6.50+ per gallon in September, with prices in parts of California topping $8 per gallon.
READ MORE: US lawmakers plot to derail Trump’s Russian diesel deal
The soaring costs have become an increasingly pressing domestic issue for Trump and his Republican Party ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Earlier this month, the US president stated that Washington and Moscow had struck a deal for Russia to immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to American and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November, another million tons shortly thereafter, and potentially another three million tons. Shortly afterward, the US Treasury Department announced a temporary waiver of sanctions on Russian diesel, allowing the fuel to be sold, delivered, and imported into the US until April 7, 2027.