Trump must “do something” is the new battle cry by farm state Senators.
Senator Grassley Seeks Embargo
America First
“W diesel $6.57 in Iowa why doesn’t Pres Trump put an embargo on diesel exports like presidents in the 70s put embargoes on ag products bc food prices were inflated. High diesel prices ARE KILLING FARMERS INCOME”
Grassley’s term is not up this midterm, but Iowa Senator Joni Ernst’s term is. Trump forced her out and she retired. Now the seat is up for grabs.
Grassley’s tweets are essentially an ad for Democrat Josh Turek over Ashley Hinson, the Republican nominee.
Republicans Worried Over Diesel
The Wall Street Journal reports Worried Republicans Float Ideas to Lower Diesel, Gas Prices Before Midterms
Lawmakers have floated ideas including a federal gas-tax holiday or a ban on diesel exports, while acknowledging the Iran war is the critical driver of prices. The fighting, which started in February, has become a vulnerability for President Trump and his party, after he promised no new “forever wars” and pledged to bring down prices.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) said last week that he was open to exploring a diesel-export ban. But later he said it was up to the Trump administration to get shipping flowing again through the Strait of Hormuz. “That’ll take the pressure off,” Thune said.
The Senate has scheduled only two more weeks in session ahead of the election, and there are no plans to vote on a suspension of the gas tax or another measure designed to lower fuel prices. Even if senators did pass a bill, the measure wouldn’t make it to the president’s desk soon, as the GOP-led House recessed last week.
Some Republicans would rather not talk about it.
“See you later,” Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 2 Senate Republican, told a reporter who asked what Congress or the administration could do about high diesel prices. Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday if he would support an export ban, Barrasso replied: “Well, the president is considering a number of different things that he can do.”
“I don’t think there’s gonna be a discernible decrease over the next 48 days before the election,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.), who is retiring after this term, when asked about the possibility of lowering fuel prices. Asked if there would be consequences for Republicans at the ballot box, Tillis said, “Elections are always pocketbook issues, right?”
Trump nodded to his frustration with diesel prices Monday, posting on social media that the Russia-Ukraine war has put many Russian diesel refineries out of commission. “This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended,” he said.
[Senator] Kennedy traveled to Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa this weekend to help raise money and campaign for embattled Republican candidates, in states Trump won by double digits in 2024. He said he is confident Republicans ultimately will prevail, but the races will be tight.
“If you told me six months ago I was gonna be having to spend my time in those three states, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Kennedy said. “Those ought to be fat-guy layups for us.”
Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, who is trying to fend off independent Dan Osborn in Nebraska, said there is “no doubt” that rising fuel prices are putting a huge strain on farmers and ranchers in his state. But the senator said farmers and ranchers, who tend to vote Republican, understand that Iran can’t be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
Rep. Andy Harris (R., Md.), chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, had pushed to vote on a gas-tax holiday before the House left town on Wednesday. But he ran into opposition from Republicans who fret that suspending the gas tax would deplete the Highway Trust Fund, which depends on gas-tax revenue.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) warned that it is a mistake for lawmakers not to do anything to address fuel prices before the election. Hawley said the Highway Trust Fund could be replenished later from other sources.
“For candidates who are going home and campaigning, and voters say, ‘What have you done to bring down energy prices?’ I mean, I don’t know what these candidates are going to say,” he said.
What’s Going to Happen?
Likely Nothing.
The House is on recess through the election. The Senate is scheduled to go on recess on October 3, 2026.
An export ban would also upset Trump’s energy friends. A diesel ban just points to how stupid this war has been.
Related Posts
September 19, 2026: Shipping Adds $26 Per Barrel to Cost of Oil
Trump vows to take out Iranian tankers for every tanker Iran hits.
September 19, 2026: Nate Silver Now Gives Democrats a 65 Percent Chance of Winning the Senate
Silver finally catches up to my forecast.
September 20, 2026: Diesel New Record High Every Day, When Will Gasoline Follow?
An average increase of 1.26 cents per day would mean a new high by the election.
Republican Senators want Trump to do something.
He already did.
It will be a Blue Wave in November.
America is fighting a war like it is still in the 90’s/00’s. American bases and radars in the region have been destroyed. America cannot even safely operate from Jordan now. This war really has exposed Americas military limitations. Also logistically America cannot win. This is the biggest strategic military defeat in Americas history, it is quite astounding just how bad America miscalculated and misjudged this whole debacle.
Was money made by the MIC?
are they (MIC/Gov) going to adjust accordingly?
will “Americans” adjust accordingly?
Is there going to be a vote to fix the problem?
A) all of the above
B) none of the above
C) Yeah, but voting will solve the problem, right…..
It still matters to have an executive who is “less bad.” That was true of the last 2 GOP presidents who initiated pointless major wars in the 2000s. The Dems haven’t done that for 60 years. That is an integral part of welfare state redistribution for 85 years now, whatever name it calls itself. American life as we know would have been radically different without it. It is not something that can be “fixed,” it can be somewhat managed. That’s all I ask.
Energy prices are gonna go nowhere but up for the foreseeable future. Trump has shown the world he is no JFK and sucks at negotiating on the complex world stage, primarily because he is so weak and corrupt. He actually more resembles a wannabe Hitler than anything else.
Another major issue is the entire West with its centralized and exposed energy and water infrastructure is likely to be targeted by militant actors with a grudge or Western “intelligence” agencies false flag ops. The layered conventional missile and drone offense/defense is inexpensive, extremely effective, and going to be ubiquitous. The “Global South” is watching the Russo/Ukraine and the Israel/US/Iran/Iran’s allies wars with a high degree of interest and taking notes.
The West had better get a major move on getting their military industrial complexes cleaned up, removing most of the corruption and breaking up the monopolies, and reshoring critical manufacturing because we are getting way behind. Reminds me of a book I read a few decades ago, “the fast eat the slow”…
Additionally a lot of work $$$ needs to be done to harden/defend/decentralize our critical infrastructure. With the overall ineptness and corruption of current Western leadership this is gonna occur slowlyyy…
Trump can’t get anything done overseas because the players that matter don’t agree with him aligning himself with Putin, Kim Jong Un, and other dictators. He can’t be trusted to honor the agreements he signs (witness him pulling out of giving nuclear technology to the Saudis, and abandoning them to the Houthis, who are aligned with Iran).
wow! What comments this column brings out. One thing for sure about diesel prices going up. The blue wave intensifies and the Republicans show panic as the realization sets in they are moving to back row of seats in the House and Senate …… People tend to vote their pocketbook and it is getting really walloped with inflation everywheres, particularly fuel costs and that bleeding over to everything else. Unless a miracle happens and the wars with Iran and the Russian/Ukrainian mess suddenly ends with group hugs we haven’t seen anything yet! Get ready for shortages and huge inflation.
Good column Mish!
This weekend I was fueling up at the local gas station that is always 20 to 30 cents cheaper per gallon than all the other stations. They were doing a brisk business even though they had gone from $3.49/gal to $4.19 in 48 hours (my state won’t allow gas price changes more than 1X per day.)
The conversations among the people in line were quite animated, and pretty upset!
The Republicans are going to take a well-deserved beating this November. My vote-by-mail ballot arrives today, and in a deeply red county, something like a third of us vote by mail. We’ll be making our decisions starting this week.
It’s way too late for the Republicans now. The outcome is baked in already.
Wife just filled our Honda Odyssey van at 4.149. total bill 58.60. ouch!
So this includes a ban on diesel exports to Canada? Not sure that will end well. Canada exports oil to the US who makes it into deisel and then ships some of it back to Canada. If the US stops exporting deisel to Canada don’t you think Canada will limit the export of oil to the US? Not sure that there is any upside to that other than to further encourage Canada to increase its refining capacity.
An export ban on diesel would do more damage to the Canada economy than any of Trump’s tariffis. It would expose Canada weakness of a lack of West to East single pipeline to transport petroleum products. Under CUSMA export bans are prohibited, and Canada’s only realistic option, which it can legally do is to place an export ban on the 4.1 million barrels of crude a day that are exported to the US.
Canada is building the pipelines now. We need Canada’s mid-tier crude to refine into diesel and jet fuel. Would be a circular firing squad.
Bessent told us pipelines in the ME will be a quick fix. Wouldn’t that be true of Canada then? And Canada’s would be out of enemy drone range, unless Trump launches air strikes on them.
Excellent post. And the comments are a treat to read. The endless bickering about democrats bad/good or republicans bad/good are hilarious to read. It just re-affirms my decision to move on was the right one watching the cackling hens scream it out. Lol.
Here’s a clue guys, I don’t know who will win but I do know who will lose and that’s the suckers and losers holding the bag. Nomad Capitalist had a great video on the topic, worth a watch for anyone with a functioning brain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItaIexodI2s
The only other thing I know is this…
Do worry, Trump, Walrus, GOP, and democrats will find a way to make things even worse.™
Well it’s late for me and I need to go to dreamland tonight and then relax and chill the rest of the week.
People tend to vote their wallets.
“Its the economy stupid”
James Carville, 1992
Instead of calling for ending diesel exports, senators should call for ending the export of war and weapons.
Unfortunately the value of war / weapon exports is much larger than the value of diesel exports so if one of them is getting curtailed it will be diesel since it’s worth less.
Does the president declare a national emergency, drawing attention to the aftermath. of his unpopular war, and ban US diesel exports? If he could, he would also likely ban Michigan survey reports on US consumer sentiment. The long term annual average MCS is about 84. It was 66 and 72 respectively in 2009 and 2010 in the great recession. In 2025, the 1st year of #47, it averaged 58 and in 2026, it currently is averaging 52. Will the monthly average for October 2026 eclipse the May 2026 MCS 45 all time nadir? Time will tell.
Both marketing departments for the Epstein class (Dems and Republicans) are strongly anti-free market, to wit, anti-freedom.
By what right does Grassley think he can put a gun to the head of a company that produces diesel and tell it who it can sell to? That is the same bullying mercantilism that 1776 was supposed to overturn.
Grassley has it ass-backwards. He should be appealing to magat farmers’ inherent racism instead of the price of diesel. What a tard he is.
Your downvoter doesn’t understand reality, is a racist, or both.
My comment style attracts enemies as well. Usually projectionists.
Don’t forget too – Grassley just turned 93! Think he is still shaken up by the death of the beloved family vacuum of 50 years, Beth, in August. No word if Beth received a proper burial or was just sent to a landfill in S.E. Asia
Grassley just showing what hypocrits the GOP/MAGA party are. Capitalism for thee but not for me!
An export band will only make sense if you include price fixing.
During the Great depression they tried both tariffs and price fixing. Both of these exacerbated the depression. I didn’t study business at Wharton but I know this much
“Only commies price fix”
-Every GOPer ever
Thats SOCIALISM
Can you (@mish) write a post about what you expect the “blue wave” to usher in?
I can anticipate that for you: more of the same, but with a different narrative.
No possible major economic change until 2029. but impeachments, war powers resolution passed but vetoed, and I expect Trump to go nuts with deportations and other stupidity costing Republicans the 2028 election if someone like Osoff wins the nomination.
Between Ossoff, Talarico, and Buttigieg, the Democrats seem to be quickly distilling a new template.
Where does Osoff stand on Trump’s plan to “sell” (give) forty thousand 2,000 bombs to Israel?
In that case the mid terms mean absolutely nothing since you (correctly in my opinion) are saying nothing is going to change.
However people will feel differently about Democrats in 2028 if nothing gets done with Democrats in control of both houses.
The incumbent president gets the blame or the praise
I think that the Democrats have some possibilities on their bench; Beshear, Shapiro, Newsom, maybe even AOC (shudder).
I don’t agree with most of the Democratic list of policy positions, but I don’t think people should assume that VP Vance or Sec’y Rubio are going to get anything handed to them.
Plus, Trump will be a huge anchor/headwind all the way in 2028, making the election all about himself, causing endless distractions, and forcing the Republican nominee to walk a tightrope of distancing himself from Trump while trying to keep the MAGA base fired up.
What are democrats going to do when they have their “wave?”
What are they going to accomplish?
Let me guess…”holding Trump accountable?” Investigations of Trump? Impeachment? Shutting down audits of government spending? Shutting down hearings on fraud in government? Campaigning for 2028 on “get Trump?”
Sounds great. I’m sure the Democrat party will do wonders for my family and standard of living.
Well, at least the kids can start getting ready to be “transed” again. And, maybe more of my income will get confiscated as my “fair share” for their pet causes.
Thank goodness for the veto pen.
Your obsession with trans implies more than just fear. Is there something you’re not telling yourself?
I don’t know how old you are but there’s a pretty long established trend that the Republicans take office and fuck everything up followed by the Democrats taking office and trying to fix everything the Republicans fucked up. They do what they can but they also fuck up their own stuff.
What it really comes down to is what kind of fuck up are you willing to tolerate? Is a 0.01% of the USA population having a lifestyle that scares you but doesn’t affect you more important than a global fuel & food crisis that effects more than 0.01% of the global population.
Save your amateur psychology for the Democrats.
What I am telling myself is watching blue state governments pass laws that prevent schools from telling parents when their child gets infected with Trans ideology from another blue-haired nose-ring, and enables their confusion into something very dangerous and harmful, like hormones and surgeries. All because Democrats want to show how “elevated” they are in understanding. Trans issues are indicative of mental illness, not some “lifestyle choice.” But you be you, and maybe you ought to work on telling your own self some truths.
I could go on for many, many pages of print of what the Democrats have “fucked up” and it isn’t pretty. Everything from welfare to Vietnam to the ACA healthcare to government employee unions to teacher unions to many of our modern-day maladies. But you have your opinion and I’m sure you believe all of those things are Republican’s fault. I really don’t care what you believe, to be honest, because Democrats never listen to anyone else, anyway.
There is no “global fuel and food crisis.” Prices are up. Big fucking deal. Go get a better job.
So your ox isn’t being gored sufficiently at the moment, for any adjustment in your canonical tough guy pose. No hurry.
My ox is always being gored, because I am high income/high net worth. I paid more in taxes last year than the top 1% makes in income. In this country being successful is basically a bullseye target for envy and confiscation. It didn’t used to be that way, but here we are. The socialists/communists want their way, and none of them understand how wealth is created. Even fellow republicans are envious, and I’m fighting their populism as well.
I also understand that there is a long game here (regarding Iran), and that Iran must be defeated. I’m not a big fan of how it has been carried out, but I recognize what is happening. To bitch about gas prices going up a buck or two is just stupid and shortsighted. If it was up $10, I think we have an economic problem. But it’s not.
Also, when my ox is being gored, I look for the opportunity. I work to stop it. I don’t whine, and I certainly don’t care what others think when I voice my opinion.
Exactly what a Business Woman would say… curious…
Duh. Stupid Comment of the Day Award.
I’m tempted to dye my hair rainbow to trigger folks like you even harder
As always, you missed the distinction. I said children are my concern.
I could absolutely not give one flying shit about what adults do with their bodies or their sex lives or whatever other stupid things they waste their time on. I literally don’t care, but I do have a few rules:
1) I will not be commanded to call you whatever you think you should be called. Whether that is stupidity like xer or xim or they/them. I won’t be rude to you, but if you are rude to me, you are going to get it and get it hard.
2) You may “lifestyle” any way you want, but you are not to groom children or even make any suggestions to them about your sexuality. I don’t care if you are “proud” or whatever. I don’t go around telling your kids how I like to fuck women, and I don’t want you telling mine whatever perversions you are into. If the kids aren’t around, I don’t give a shit what you say. Free country and have at it. It doesn’t mean I have to like you or accept you.
3) Don’t ask the government to pay for your surgeries or hormones, all of which are completely medically unnecessary. If you want to pay for it yourself, and also pay for the medical maladies that result, then go right ahead.
4) You may not play women’s sports or any contact or physical sports with my daughter. I don’t care if you sliced off your privates and/or take a drug regimen to pretend you are a girl. You will NOT be in her locker room, and you will not be playing in her game. Play against me and the other guys, and let’s see how you do, then.
Other than, live free and die free, comrade.
Oh I’m sure children are your concern. Funny how it was your president on that island raping them without a trans person in sight. Maybe we should send all our kids to an island so they’re safe from that dastardly 1%?
Does anyone else feel like there’s an ulterior motive to this child protecting or is it just me?
LOL
get some help please
Even if Team D were as bad as you say, Trump spent the past two years acting as Israel’s buttboi, not doing anything for America or Americans.
It would be nearly impossible for Democrats to be as bad for this nation as Trump.
It’s worth a healthy debate. Has Trump pissed me off with his market manipulations and shenanigans? Absolutely. I held my nose when I voted for the guy. I’ve been a DeSantis guy from day 1.
But I look at Kamala Harris and Biden and then the socialist Democrats vying for Congress, and I’m not so sure that they wouldn’t be worse.
They would definitely be worse for me.
At least with Trump I have a business-friendly president (most of the time, not always) and I like his border policies. I like his tax policy. I like law enforcement. I have watched as my large blue city has gotten worse and worse in terms of taxes, crime, living conditions, business conditions, etc. All because of local policies. If Trump wasn’t deporting many criminals, I have a feeling that crime would actually be much worse.
Do I like Trump as a person? Not really, to be honest. Too much bullshit all the time. I want a quiet, effective government, which is why I like DeSantis.
But I don’t think the alternative would be as good as people think.
A few people here tout the alternative as some great thing. But most of us, I believe, instead just want useful and valuable things to stop breaking so deeply and quickly. We want any kind of breather from this particular manifest sh!t show.
It’s good of you to post so we can be reminded of the burdens of stupid people.
Stupid people ARE the burden.
Why did you let your kids “get transed?” You’re a poor parent if you just let them flit in the breeze with any wind.
Reading comprehension is a real struggle here.
Did I say that anywhere? Did you directly read something that allowed you to translate it into “how can I turn this into making him a bad parent?”
Are you guys all literally devoid of basic logic and reasoning skills? Are you incapable of having an adult debate about important issues without completely and purposefully regurgitating false rebuttals?
You’re the one who veered from the major topic, the economy vis a vis energy prices, to this marginal culture war sideshow.
False rebuttals? Explain why the GOP is defending pedophiles then. It seems like it ought to be easy enough since you’re so filthy rich and smart. I’m hearing a whole lot of “look over there” with no comment on the billionaire child rapists in the room. Guess that’s not as important as defending women’s sports you don’t watch.
Not much they can do with that moron still the president and vetoing every sane idea that comes along. But they will still likely accomplish more than the current GOP run congress which has done absolutely nothing constructive. Not a high bar to reach. The first thing they will probably do is attempt to rein in DOW spending on the Iran war of choice and starve the president into stopping the insanity and confirming that the proper name is DOD.
It’s so close to elections I’m not sure there is anything that could benefit the republican candidates. Can’t even legally rig the elections.
Fuel costs will hit a ‘hockey stick’ on prices before too long. As oil continues to get constrained, the SPR continues to fall. There’s is a point at which there is effectively no extra fuel, just what’s left in the pipes & pumps.
Then we get the hockey stick followed immediately by out right shortages for harvesting and shipping. When shipping gets hit, the economy will self destruct under the prices and corruption.
Bessent will blame Biden.
Trump will blame everyone but Trump – Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Greenland, and low flush toilets.
Are you actually watching oil prices, or are you a couple weeks behind?
It’s still above the 20 day SMA.
True, but it’s also below the 14 and 10-day, and moving sharply lower. Tom made the point that everything is going to destruct “soon” due to oil shortages, and the most recent two weeks pricing action does not indicate any of that
Regardless of technicals, any bona fide trader will tell you that there is nothing that indicates a crisis is coming. As of this moment there is enough oil, and more is rapidly coming online.
Tom’s thesis is that fuel is going to “hockey stick” because of oil pricing. Mine is that he is two weeks behind, which is exactly what the 14 day average is telling us versus current price action.
You said it was moving sharply lower weeks ago too. It’s higher now. What happened then?
This post is about high diesel costs. Look at the graph in the article.
Only a politician could be so dumb as to argue that an export ban would affect prices.
Only a voter could be so dumb as to believe them.
Apparently, there are millions of them.
Their oil company owners won’t allow anything of the sort.
Why should they?
Well, it really shouldn’t be their decision, now should it, Business Woman.
Bebe is staying the course.