House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) defended President Donald Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel into the U.S. market Sunday, calling the move an example of the president thinking creatively to address rising energy costs.

“It’s another example of our president thinking out of the box,” Emmer told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl on “This Week,” adding that Trump is “listening to the American people.”

Trump announced Friday that Russia had agreed to supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately, another 500,000 tons in November and an additional 1 million tons afterward. The president said lowering costs for farmers, ranchers and truckers was a top priority as Americans face surging fuel prices.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a license Friday authorizing the sale and importation of Russian diesel, including shipments to the United States, through April 7, 2027.

The decision marks a shift in Washington’s sanctions policy toward Moscow. Trump signed a sweeping Russia sanctions law last month intended to restrict oil and gas revenue that helps fund Russia’s war in Ukraine. The diesel authorization has raised questions about whether easing restrictions to address domestic energy costs could weaken economic pressure on the Kremlin.

Diesel prices averaged nearly $6.28 per gallon nationally Friday, up from approximately $3.68 a year earlier, according to AAA figures cited by The Associated Press. Gasoline prices have also become a major concern as Republicans prepare to defend their House and Senate majorities in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

However, energy analysts have questioned whether the Russian shipments will provide meaningful relief. Michael Lynch, a distinguished fellow at the Energy Policy Research Foundation, told the Associated Press that Russian diesel sent to the United States would likely be diverted from other buyers rather than represent a substantial increase in global supply. As a result, prices could remain near current levels.

Clayton Seigle, an energy strategist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, argued that the move could ease financial pressure on Moscow, saying it would “let Moscow off the hook” as Russia faces a squeeze on its revenue.

Emmer acknowledged the strain of rising fuel costs, calling $4-per-gallon gasoline and $6-per-gallon diesel “unacceptable” and saying Republicans agree that the prices are too high.

With control of Congress at stake in November, Emmer also warned Republicans against assuming voters would deliver victories without a strong turnout. “You show up and vote, we’re going to be fine,” he told Karl.

The Minnesota Republican also defended Trump’s pledge Thursday that the United States would not attack Iran before the midterm elections. Trump has been overseeing a months-long U.S. war against Iran, and Emmer praised the president’s military response, saying Trump “took the action that no one else would take for 47 years.”

Emmer was also asked about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s decision to livestream the scheduled execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad Dec. 3, and the proposed livestream has drawn criticism from lawmakers in both parties.

Emmer said he personally opposes the death penalty but deferred to Trump’s authority to make the decision, describing the president as “a chief executive in this country who will make a decision.” He added that people who come to the United States or become radicalized within the country to kill Americans should face “significant consequences.”