Republicans Face Backlash Over 50% Gas Price Surge From Iran War

Congressional Republicans are scrambling to manage the political fallout from a nearly 50 percent surge in U.S. gasoline prices triggered by President Donald Trump's war with Iran, which began with a joint U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign on February 28. Iran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz, shutting down a fifth of global oil trade and driving fuel costs sharply higher. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed May 11 found that 66 percent of Americans believe Trump has failed to clearly explain the goals of the military involvement, while 75 percent say his administration bears some responsibility for the price spike and 65 percent blame the Republican Party directly.

GOP lawmakers have adopted divergent and sometimes contradictory strategies to address voter anger. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise sought to minimize the increase by noting gas prices reached almost $6 per gallon under former President Joe Biden. Representative Mike Lawler of New York argued the higher costs are worth the war, while Representative Tom Barrett of Michigan has redirected questions toward Iran's nuclear program. Some members have simply stayed silent. The economic strain is acute: 63 percent of respondents reported that rising gas prices have negatively affected their household finances.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is seizing on the vulnerability, declaring that Republicans were caught in a lie on cost-of-living issues and vowing to keep gas prices at the center of November midterm campaigns. Trump has promised prices will fall once the conflict ends, but with no resolution in sight, his approval rating sits at just 36 percent — a slight uptick that still reflects broad public dissatisfaction. The combination of an unexplained war and pocketbook pain has put Republican congressional majorities at growing risk.