Republican lawmakers distance themselves from Big Oil

Published October 3, 2026 6:05am ET



Big Oil’s long-running alliance with the Republican Party faces a major roadblock as more GOP candidates, and President Donald Trump himself, back a temporary ban on diesel exports.

The rift, driven by the war in Iran and Ukrainian strikes on refineries in Russia, broke into public view recently when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the president pro tempore of the Senate, became the most prominent Republican to advocate the proposal.

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