Trump signs executive order to relax diesel category restrictions to lower costs

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday local time to relax restrictions on the use of a type of tax-exempt diesel. This is his latest move to cut the cost of the fuel ahead of the November midterm elections. Trump signed the executive order at an event in Grand Island, Nebraska. It is part of a month-long campaign sprint before the elections, and he called the measure an "unprecedented cost-cutting action." Trump said the measure will "formally eliminate the non-road use restriction, allowing anyone to buy tax-exempt red-dyed diesel for any reason." Wars between Russia and the Middle East have squeezed refining capacity and reduced global shipments of petroleum products, causing diesel prices to surge. This move is the president's latest action to address the high cost of diesel. High diesel prices are especially sensitive in inland U.S. states, where the fuel powers rural communities and is also used to run farmers' agricultural machinery.