A Republican lawmaker is publicly breaking with President Trump over his new diesel arrangement with Vladimir Putin, and he isn't being subtle about it. Rep. Mike Lawler of New York told Bloomberg he opposes any deal that puts money in Russia's pockets while its war on Ukraine rages on, calling Putin a "vile dictator" who has committed war crimes. The deal, announced by Trump on Friday, has Russia releasing 300,000 tons of diesel into American and global markets to ease soaring fuel costs, and it required the Treasury Department to lift sanctions on Russia to make it happen. Lawler argued that the answer to America's energy squeeze is more domestic production and new refineries, and that he doesn't want to repeat the mistake of Europe, whose oil purchases helped bankroll Moscow's war.

He is far from alone. A bipartisan group of senators, including four Republicans, says the deal runs against a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports, and the European Union has warned it will help finance Putin's war effort. The move also lands just weeks after Trump signed off on tougher Russia sanctions, which makes the reversal even harder for critics to swallow. Trump has defended it, saying he made the right choice for the American people, but with the November midterms around the corner, some Republicans in tight races are openly distancing themselves from the deal. The big question now is whether the pushback is loud enough to force the White House to change course.