‘Dammit, something has to happen’: White House preparing plan for 90-day diesel exports ban

Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks during the third day of the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Abundance in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 16, 2026. | Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via The Trump administration is preparing a plan to ban exports of diesel for 90 days, despite splits inside the administration and with the oil industry, in a bid to bring down energy prices weighing on Republicans leading into the midterms, five people familiar with the discussions said Wednesday. A ban, the legal process of which is still being worked out, has created splits inside the administration and with the oil industry, which has warned that any short-term benefit would be outweighed by higher fuel prices in the future. Any halt to shipments would be the first restriction on U.S. energy exports since the Obama administration lifted a decades-old ban on oil exports in 2015.

But the war that the Trump administration launched against Iran in February, as well as Ukraine’s attacks against Russian refineries, have boosted diesel prices to record highs and caused farm-state Republicans to demand the ban. The average price for a gallon of diesel was $6.52 Wednesday, up 91 cents from a month ago and $2.83 from last year, according to AAA. Some GOP lawmakers, refining industry executives and even some administration officials are still trying to convince President Donald Trump that a ban would be a bad idea, one that could backfire by eventually raising prices for gasoline, jet fuel and other fuels, said people familiar with the discussions who were granted anonymity to describe internal White House communications.

But as high energy prices continue to bedevil Republican candidates going into tough midterm elections in less than seven weeks, Trump is inclined to announce a ban by the end of the week and consider any blowback “a December problem,” said one oil industry executive who has discussed the ban with senior White House officials. A 90-day ban could cause diesel prices to drop in some U.S. regions in the short term as tankers of the fuel originally intended to go to Europe or Asia are instead pumped back into the U.S. fuel system, raising domestic supply. But refiners would eventually slow down production in answer to the loss of a major export market, causing prices to rise.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have protested the idea of a total ban, people familiar with the internal discussions said. Wright made a round of calls to energy CEOs on Tuesday night telling them a 90-day ban was likely to happen in the coming days, according to a Trump energy adviser, speaking on background to avoid repercussions. A number of CEOs immediately began calling the White House to push back on the ban, the adviser said, cautioning that “there’s a lot of swirl so it might change.” Another industry official said it could come down to the “last person in the room” with Trump when he makes the decision.

An external adviser to the administration said they had received “a bunch of frantic outreach” in recent days searching for alternatives to a ban. They worried the administration would repeatedly extend a ban and establish precedent for government intervention in energy markets — a playbook Democrats could use as well. Wright, speaking at an event in New York on Wednesday, came out against the idea.

Bill Cassidy on vaccines, RFK Jr. and the fight for public trust “The blunt tool of banning diesel exports definitely doesn’t work because the U.S. exports a lot of diesel,” Wright said as part of a Climate Week panel discussion. So, if you can’t export the diesel that comes out of our refineries when you run out of places to store it, and you have to reduce U.S. refining, which would put upward pressure on gasoline prices and jet fuel prices.” At a separate event Wednesday morning, Wright suggested there would be a “voluntary” plan that would take a “slice” of diesel out of the global market. While the idea of a ban had been floated off and on for months, a decisive moment came when Republican Sen.