Trump expands access to tax-exempt diesel fuel amidst rising fuel prices

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to expand access to tax-exempt diesel that he unveiled from a rally stage in Nebraska, Reuters writes.

High diesel prices, which shot to a record of about $6.50 a gallon last month, are a risk to Trump ahead of the November 3 midterm US elections in which control of Congress is at stake. Trump's Republican Party currently holds a narrow majority in the ⁠Senate and House of Representatives.

Prices for the fuel integral to trucking goods have risen in response to the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the conflicts having led to attacks on refineries in the Middle East and Russia.

Trump said the directive will waive the off-road requirement for tax-free diesel and allow anyone to buy the red dye diesel fuel that is used by the agriculture industry and by some off-road vehicles.

"We are not going to need it long, I hope," Trump said of the waiver.