A group of 12 senators, six from each party, wrote to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and asked him to cancel his new diesel deal with Russia. "This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies; it should be rescinded," they wrote, CBS News and NPR reported.

Trump said last week that Russia would quickly send more than 300,000 tons of diesel to U.S. and world markets, and he said more would follow in the months ahead. He also lifted sanctions on Russian diesel sales to make the deal work.

The Republicans who signed include Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and John Cornyn, Reuters reported. The Democrats include Richard Blumenthal, Jeanne Shaheen and Dick Durbin, according to CBS News.

The senators said they know Americans need lower fuel costs, but they said Russian diesel would offer "limited to no relief" at the pump, CBS News and NPR reported. They said the money would help Moscow pay for its war in Ukraine; Reuters noted that 300,000 tons is less than one day of diesel use for U.S. transport, based on federal energy data.

The letter asks Trump to take back a Treasury waiver on Russian energy. It also asks him to use powers in a sanctions law he signed last month, and that law is named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Russia hawk who died in July. Reuters said the letter marks a shift for Republicans, who have mostly backed Trump on foreign policy, just weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

A smaller group of senators had already urged Trump on Sunday to "immediately reverse course," the Washington Examiner reported.

What we know: Twelve senators from both parties formally asked Trump to cancel the deal and the waiver.
What we don't: Whether the White House will respond, or whether Congress will try to block the deal by law.