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Page F129From§Eachthe evening edition — 29 October 2026

Sanctions waiver meant to cut diesel prices leaves automakers paying more for diesel.

By RuthThe Money Desk

As it ran on the front

The filing starts in September, before Russia even enters this ledger. On September seventeenth the Transportation Department gave diesel truckers a ninety-day waiver to drive up to sixteen hours a day, because, the department said, fuel costs were already running high on account of the war in Iran. That is one war, already blamed, three weeks before the war we are discussing today gets its turn.

On October sixth the White House tried the supply side again, this time from the other end: the president announced steps to widen access to red-dyed, tax-exempt diesel, aimed at bringing the retail number down. Two days later the number had not moved. The Washington Examiner reported on October eighth that the diesel average kept climbing despite the administration's own order suspending diesel fuel tax payments. The fix shipped. The price did not follow it out the door.…

…(cont) Two days after that, on October tenth, the administration reached for Russian diesel directly and lifted the sanctions on it, the fuel this desk has been pricing since the war in Ukraine began. President Zelensky objected, on the record, to buying from refineries he is also being told not to strike, and was advised to find his country a new president. The waiver carried the same stated purpose as the tax order and the truck-hour order before it: bring the number down for the driver paying at the pump.

Twelve days after that waiver, on October twenty-second, Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas told the record the cause, no equivocation: the war in Ukraine is why diesel costs what it costs. The senator did not reconcile that against his own party's calendar — three federal interventions in five weeks, none of them Ukrainian, all of them built to bring that same number down.

The invoice arrived this week, October twenty-ninth, from the people who buy the fuel by the fleet. NPR reported that American automakers are paying more for computer chips, steel and copper, plus the diesel that moves the finished product — and the wire's own headline led with tariffs, not Ukraine. Since the September high of five dollars and eighty-five cents, the national diesel average has added another sixty-three cents, to six-forty-eight, across three domestic fixes sold as the cure. That gap lands in the invoice of the same voters the waiver was sold to, hon — the drivers, the dealers, and now the people who build the trucks.

“They told us the fix was pulling Russian diesel sanctions so the price at the pump would come down, and five weeks and two other fixes later the number went up anyway. The guy at the end of the bar doesn't absorb that first — the automaker does, and it rides home in the sticker price of his next truck. Washington has yet to show him one receipt proving any of this worked.”
Sal
“The waiver secures energy stability for the whole hemisphere, that's the real win here, and diesel would be even higher without it — we just can't show you the counterfactual, obviously. The senator's right that the war in Ukraine is driving this, the timing on our own fixes is, uh, a separate conversation. Did I just say that? That's not the line, forget the line.”
Chip

Earlier in this story

The receipts

· Trump administration allows truck drivers hauling gas, diesel to work longer hours from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· How the Russia-Ukraine war continues to contribute to current high diesel fuel costs from the morgue, 8 Oct 2026

· Marshall blames Ukraine war for high diesel prices from the morgue, 22 Oct 2026

· Trump announces steps to lower high cost of diesel from the morgue, 6 Oct 2026

· Trump rips into Volodymyr Zelensky — insisting it’s time for Ukraine to ‘get a new president’ from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026

· Ukraine hit by deadly Russian strikes as ‘thanks’ for Trump diesel deal, Zelenskyy says from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026

· Trump calls for Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy after clash over Russia diesel deal: 'Get a new president' from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026

· Rebuking Ukraine Over Oil Strikes, Trump Says It Should ‘Get a New President’ from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026

· 'Time for Ukraine to get new president,' says Trump after Zelensky condemns diesel deal from the morgue, 11 Oct 2026

· Trump says Ukraine needs new president, blames Zelenskyy for diesel prices from the morgue, 11 Oct 2026

· Trump rips Zelensky amid Russia diesel deal feud: 'I suggest they get a new leader' from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026

· Trump says Ukraine needs ‘a new leader who can make a deal’ from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026

· Trump says Russia will release millions of tons of diesel to help with costs from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026

· Trump announces deal for Russian diesel as Zelensky calls it a gift to Putin from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026

· Zelenskyy furious as Trump announces deal to buy Russian diesel from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026

· Trump and Putin sign diesel deal, angering Ukraine and its allies from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026

· Trump: Russia has ‘lost control’ of its diesel industry as prices soar from the morgue, 21 Sep 2026

· Trump says Ukraine and Russia have agreed to energy target ceasefire from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026

· Trump calls on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian diesel fuel from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026

· Trump blames Ukraine for diesel fuel price spike, urges Zelensky to stop hitting Russian refineries from the morgue, 13 Sep 2026

· Trump calls out Zelensky over rising diesel prices from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026

· Ukraine persists with Russian oil refinery strikes, defying Trump on fuel price warnings from the morgue, 1 Oct 2026

· Britain in talks with European allies over release of emergency diesel stockpiles amid Trump pressure from the morgue, 1 Oct 2026

· Russia’s Lavrov blasts US, Western allies as “warmongers’ in fiery UN tirade from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026

· Russia and China unite against US over Iran and Cuba in UN speeches from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026

· U.S. military lays groundwork for potential action around Cuba from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026

· The United Nations Security Council has resoundingly rejected a United States bid to extend a global arms embargo on Iran. In a Security Council vote, United States only got support from the Dominican from the morgue, 14 Aug 2020

· U.S. Threatens New Economic War on Iran by Targeting China & Tehran's Other Top Trading Partners from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026

· In Defiant UN Speech, Iranian President Says US and Israel Are the Real Terrorists from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026

· Trump slams reporting on removal of his endorsements from GOP candidate's website from the morgue, 27 Sep 2026

· Donalds removes several Trump mentions from campaign website from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026

· GOP hopeful removes ‘Pro-Trump’ mention from campaign slogan in deep-red seat from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026

· Where Trump’s 2026 endorsement record stands after primary season from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026

· U.N. experts say U.S. may have committed war crimes with 2 Iran strikes from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026

· Trump Says 'Big Decision' Coming on Whether to 'Annihilate' Iran from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026

· Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump defense strategy from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Senate Democrats, minus Fetterman, urge Hegseth to provide receipt for Iran war costs from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Hegseth on "devastation" to Iran's capabilities from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026

· Trump admits Iran war will not end before midterms from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026

· Iran War Trump Said Would Be Quick Has Now Lasted 6 Months With 'No End In Sight' from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026

· CBO Finds Trump's Iran War Has Already Cost Nearly $40 Billion—And That's a 'Conservative' Estimate from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026

· Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go' from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026

· Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth for Illegal Iran War, Boat Murders from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026

· Massie launches effort to impeach Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026

· Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over 'inept management' of military from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026

· Tillis renews calls for Hegseth’s firing after Driscoll’s departure: ‘I have never witnessed more inept management’ from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026

· Farmer who voted for Trump says farmers are "all just in survival mode" from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026

· Farmer who voted for Trump says "I can't stay in business" amid rising costs from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026

· Massie says he’s convinced enough Republicans to pass Epstein Files II discharge petition from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026

· Massie names Epstein 'coconspirators,' discusses new Epstein files legislation from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026

· Read Thomas Massie’s eight impeachment charges against Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026

· Fake Republican midterm convention site still redirects to Epstein files from the morgue, 7 Sep 2026

· Trump says he has a ‘big decision’ coming up on Iran: ‘Do I want to go in and annihilate them’ from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Fox News Poll: 71% think Trump administration lacks plan to end Iran war from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Iran recently downed at least 2 American drones, officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Big Oil Stocks Surged Due to Iran War—and New Filings Show How President Trump Cashed In from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026

· Live updates: Energy secretary downplays rising gas prices as US, Iran trade strikes from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026

· U.S. Strike on Iranian School May Have Been War Crime, U.N. Report Says from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· UN Inquiry Finds US Strike on Minab, Iran That Killed 123 Children Was War Crime from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· UN investigators conclude ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe certain US strikes in Iran were war crimes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· UN Suspects US War Crimes in Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· US Condemned for 'War Crimes' After Bombing of Wedding Party in Iran from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026

· US investigating if missile hit Iranian wedding ceremony, killing 4 from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026

· Trump says he has a ‘big decision coming up’ on Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· White House issues explosive response to UN-backed report claiming US committed war crimes against world’s No.1 sponsor of terror, Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Human rights experts: 'Reasonable grounds' to believe US committed war crimes with Iran strikes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· US Energy Consumers Have Spent $121 Billion Extra Since Trump Launched Iran War: Moody's from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Iran downed at least 2 American drones in recent days, U.S. officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Iran: Account of US Air Force colonel's rescue 'fictional' from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Consumer Burden of Trump Iran War Exceeds $100 Billion as Oil Prices Pass $100 a Barrel from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026

· 'A Serious and Alarming Threat': US Bombing, Blockade Deepen Iran Medical Crisis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026

· Consumer Confidence Hits Lowest Level in Months as US Faces 'Trump's Reckless Tariffs and War With Iran' from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026

· U.S. Air Force officer rescued from Iran speaks for the first time to 60 Minutes from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026

· Rep. Thomas Massie forcing vote on Pete Hegseth's impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· Did Johnson Just Adjourn Congress for 7 Weeks to Avoid Massie's Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth? from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Massie saying Johnson is sending the House home early to prevent Hegseth impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· ‘You’re Elected to Fight and Kill the Other Side’: How Congress Lost Its Way from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· Army combat veteran challenging Mike Lawler calls Hegseth national security 'hazard,' backs impeachment from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026

· Former Air Force secretary says he 'couldn't serve' in Trump administration from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026

· Former Air Force secretary: Hegseth's Pentagon 'dysfunctional' from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026

· House Republicans split over leaving Washington early for campaign trail from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026

· Since 2025, Trump Made More Stock Trades Than All 535 Congress Members Combined from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· Fossil Fuel Advertising Contracts Hit Record High as Big Oil Pockets Billions From Iran War from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· 'How are we gonna get through this?' Many Americans are struggling as prices rise from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.