GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Promise made, promise kept, and signed live in front of the Patriots who keep America moving. Midway through Monday night’s Midterm Rally at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center, President Donald J. Trump called for the paperwork, had aide Natalie Harp bring the order to the stage, and signed “Emergency Tax Relief on Diesel Fuel” on the spot.
“For many years, farm vehicles, construction equipment and other off-road vehicles have used what is known as red-dye diesel,” the President told the crowd. “Tonight I am going to sign a historic Executive Order to officially waive the off-road requirement and allow anyone to purchase tax-free red-dye diesel for any reason.” Then came the bottom line: “The typical trucker will save over $100 every time they fill up. So it’s more than $100 each time. And farmers will also save millions and millions of dollars.”
Here is what the order does. It directs the Treasury Secretary to defer the federal excise tax on dyed diesel used on the highway from October 5 through December 31, 2026, without penalties or interest, and to have the IRS announce within five days that it will not impose dyed-diesel penalties during that window. Treasury is also told to explore avenues, including legislation, to wipe out the deferred tax entirely. The federal diesel tax is 24.4 cents a gallon, about $60 on a 250-gallon fill, and the White House says that where states match the federal action, savings will top $100 per fill.
The whole team is on it. The Secretary of Agriculture will work with co-ops, rural fuel distributors, and farm supply groups to get dyed diesel into high-demand farm areas. The Transportation Department will coordinate with states, industry, and labor while keeping every highway safety check in place. And the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs will press governors to adopt matching relief. As the President’s order puts it, “Farmers and truckers are essential to the American way of life,” and this “targeted action will put money directly in the pocket of American farmers, truckers, and workers.”
It builds on a winning record: a 100-million-barrel diesel release from Europe’s reserves secured by President Trump, the historic Venezuela oil deal, more than $40 billion in direct aid to farmers since January 2025, and trucker earnings up more than 7%. Before boarding Marine One for Nebraska on Monday, the President promised he would be “helping them with diesel.” By that night, it was signed. Watch the Official White House video of Monday’s South Lawn departure.
