Republicans Break With Trump Over 60-Day Russia Sanctions Waiver
Cruz and Haley criticized the move, McCaul urged a reversal, and Rubio defended it as an energy-market measure.
A decision meant to ease energy prices has opened a rare rift inside Republican ranks. According to Fox News, President Trump signed an executive order waiving key Russia-related sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act for 60 days, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the move, citing energy-market pressure from the Iran war and Houthi attacks.
Critics came from the president's own side. Senator Ted Cruz called the waiver a mistake and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley also criticized it. Representative Michael McCaul, a senior Republican on foreign policy, urged Trump to reverse it, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of giving Iran intelligence to target U.S. troops. That is McCaul's allegation, and the reports we reviewed do not independently confirm it.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the sanctions relief "seems wrong to me" and "only fuels" Russia's aggression. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said Russia is "doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran." Iran's foreign minister has said the opposite, writing that Iran and Russia have never worked so closely.
On the economics, Texas A&M finance professor Jill Cetina told reporters that a planned Russian diesel supply deal is unlikely to meaningfully lower U.S. diesel prices and is more symbolic than substantive, according to a separate Spokesman-Review report on inflation. The national average for regular gasoline stands at $4.33, according to AAA.
Why it matters: the waiver pits two conservative instincts against each other, lower prices at home versus pressure on Moscow. With 16 days to the midterms and a Senate majority at stake, Republicans who want a hard line on Russia are saying so out loud. The White House has not said whether it will extend the waiver beyond 60 days.
Open questions: the exact scope of the waiver, whether Congress will try to block it, and how much any diesel deal would actually move prices. We will update this story as facts come in.
- Fox News live blog: Iran war, Oct. 17
- Fox News live blog: Midterm elections 2026, Oct. 18
- CBS News live updates: Iran war, Russia and talks
Facts above are attributed to the linked reporting. Statements in a source's own opinion section are labeled as commentary. We correct errors promptly.
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