Jennifer Balkcom: House Republicans Voted Multiple Times To Keep The Iran War Going, Despite It Contributing To The Price Of A Gallon Of Gas Rising More Than $1 In North Carolina And Increasing Inflation
House Republicans Voted Multiple Times To Keep The Iran War Going
May 2026: NPR Headline: “Republicans Call Off Vote On Iran War Resolution That Was On The Verge Of Passing.” [NPR, 5/22/26]
- The War Powers Resolution Would Rein In The President’s Military Action In Iran. “Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June. The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by Democrats, that would rein in Trump's military campaign. But as it became clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders declined to hold a vote on it. It was the latest sign of the slipping support in Congress for a war that Trump launched more than two months ago without congressional approval.” [NPR, 5/22/26]
July 2026: Associated Press: “The Vast Majority Of Republicans In Both Chambers Voted To Back The [Iran] War And Cede Congressional War Powers To Trump.” “The House on Thursday narrowly passed a resolution to halt U.S. military action in Iran, sending a warning to President Donald Trump for the second time as the war has escalated and the future of the conflict is increasingly uncertain. […] The House resolution passed after a handful of Republicans voted with Democrats to end the war. But the vast majority of Republicans in both chambers voted to back the war and cede congressional war powers to Trump.” [Associated Press, 7/23/26]
During The Six Weeks Of The Iran War, The Average Price Of A Gallon Of Gas Increased More Than $1 In North Carolina And Rose Above $4 Across The Country, A Costly Burden That Most Americans Were Unwilling To Pay
During The Six Weeks Of The Iran War, The Average Price Of A Gallon Of Gas Increased More Than $1 In North Carolina
February 27, 2026-April 7, 2026: Average Gas Prices In North Carolina Increased $1.16 Over The First Six Weeks Of The Iran Conflict. [Wall Street Journal, 4/7/26]
Image: see original report, p. 34
[Wall Street Journal, 4/7/26]
April 6, 2026: The Average Gas Price Reached Over $4.11 Per Gallon. [AAA, Fuel Prices, accessed 4/6/26]
Image: see original report, p. 34
[AAA, Fuel Prices, accessed 4/6/26]
March 2026: The Average Price Of A Gallon Of Gas In The U.S. Rose To More Than $4
March 2026: New York Times Headline: “Average Gasoline Price Hits $4 In U.S., A ‘Headache’ For Drivers And Trump.” [New York Times, 3/31/26]
Average Gas Price Rose To Over $4 A Gallon At The End Of March 2026, Up 35 Percent Since The End Of February And A Level Not Seen Since August 2022. “Gasoline in the United States crossed an average of $4 a gallon on Tuesday, a threshold it hadn’t reached since August 2022, continuing a series of nearly uninterrupted increases since the Middle East war began that are chipping away at the spending power of American consumers. Since the end of February, the average cost of regular gasoline has jumped 35 percent, according to data from the AAA motor club. Seeing gasoline at more than $4 a gallon — when it was below $3 a month ago — could push American drivers to change their spending habits.” [New York Times, 3/31/26]
April 2026: AAA Headline: “For The First Time In Four Years, National Average Exceeds $4/Gallon.” [AAA, 4/2/26]
Most Americans Said They Were Unwilling To Pay More For Gas During The Iran War
The War In Iran Drove “The Average Cost Of A Gallon Of Gasoline In The United States To Nearly $4,” Which Most Americans Criticized. “The war in Iran has driven the average cost of a gallon of gasoline in the United States to nearly $4, forcing Republicans to field an onslaught of election season attacks from Democrats who say the Trump administration is crushing Americans at the pump. […] But motorists are becoming frustrated, with public opinion polls indicating that most Americans do not believe they should have to accept the rising gasoline costs.” [New York Times, 3/22/26]
- Axios: “For Many Americans, The Most Visible Barometer Of How The Iran War Is Going May Be The Price At The Gas Station Down The Street.” “Most Americans will likely soon be paying over $4 per gallon as the war in Iran drives one of the sharpest gas price surges in recent history. The big picture: For many Americans, the most visible barometer of how the Iran war is going may be the price at the gas station down the street.” [Axios, 3/19/26]
Economists “Warned Gas Prices Could Continue To Remain High For Months Even If The U.S. Immediately De-Escalates In Iran.” “Each week the war drags on prolongs the pain Americans feel. Economists have warned gas prices could continue to remain high for months even if the U.S. immediately de-escalates in Iran. Extended conflict also raises the risk of increased casualties, especially if U.S. servicemembers are deployed to on-the-ground combat. And it could sour MAGA voters whose support of President Donald Trump hinged, in part, on their opposition to “forever wars” and foreign regime change.” [Politico, 3/29/26]
Most Americans Were Unwilling “To Pay More For Gas During The Conflict” And Thought It Would Cause Gas Prices To Rise “Both In The Short And Long Term.” “Rising gas prices are fueling some pessimism about the U.S. economy more broadly, with concerns about negative impacts on it in at least the near-term, if not the long term. […] People see the war as impacting rising gas prices, both in the short and long term. […] This comes alongside a sharp upsurge in the percentage of people who've noticed rising prices. […] In terms of possible patience or making sacrifice, they don't think Americans ought to be willing to pay more for gas during the conflict.” [CBS News, 3/22/26]
- 80 Percent Of Americans Thought Gas Prices Were “Already Too High,” With 60 Percent Blaming Trump For The Increase. “Majorities of Americans think gas prices are already too high (80%), that they're likely to increase in the next few months (67%), and that Trump is to blame for the increases (60%), according to a Yahoo/YouGov poll. Meanwhile, 56% of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of Iran, vs. 36% who approve, according to a separate Economist/YouGov poll.” [Axios, 3/19/26]
March 2026: The Iran War Drove Up Gas Prices Across The Country
March 2026: Axios Headline: “Scoreboard On Every Street: Gas Heads For $4 Per Gallon Due To Iran War.” [Axios, 3/19/26]
March 2026: Reuters Headline: “Rising Gas Prices From Iran War Imperil Trump's Republican Majority In Congress.” [Reuters, 3/10/26]
March 2026: New York Times Headline: “High Gas Prices, Driven Up By The Iran War, Loom Over The Midterms.” [New York Times, 3/21/26]
- Republican Strategists Were Worried “That High Gas Prices Will Undercut Their Economic Message For The Midterms.” “As the war enters a fourth week, some Republican strategists are privately worrying that high gas prices will undercut their economic message for the midterms. Still, with the election more than seven months away, costs could decline and foreign policy could fade as a concern among voters. How much patience voters will give the administration to prosecute a war with no clear end in sight is unclear. Democrats have pounced, seeing an opportunity to drive their economic message for the midterms while also tying Mr. Trump to an unpopular overseas conflict.”
March 2026: CNN Headline: “A Deal With Iran Wouldn’t Lower Your Gas Prices Anytime Soon.” [CNN, 3/24/26]
March 2026: Headline: “Iran War, Rising Gas Prices Fuel Economic Concerns; Most Say Conflict Not Going Well, Don’t Want Regime Left In Power, CBS News Poll Finds.” [CBS News, 3/22/26]
March 2026: Headline: “A Month Into Iran, The GOP’s Political Reality Sinks In.” [Politico, 3/29/26]
March 2026: The War In Iran Increased Inflation, Mainly From Higher Energy And Gas Prices, And Consumers “Blamed The War For The Worsening Economy”
March 2026: The Consumer Price Index Rose 3.3 Percent In The Initial Weeks Of The Iran War, Mainly From Energy And Gas Prices That Rose 11 Percent And 21 Percent, Respectively. “The U.S. government published its first inflation report this morning covering the initial weeks of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. The numbers were predictably brutal. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ consumer price index jumped 3.3% in March on an annual basis, the hottest inflation reading on record for the second Trump administration. The monthly price increase figure was an eye-watering 0.9%. The source of the surge was the cost of energy, and gas prices were particularly jarring in March. While energy costs on the whole rose nearly 11%, the price of gasoline exploded by more than 21%.” [Punchbowl News, 4/10/26]
- Higher Energy Costs “Accounted For Nearly Three-Quarters Of The Monthly Increase In The Consumer Price Index.” "Inflation climbed at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in March, with gasoline jumping by 21.2 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday, and the increase in energy costs accounted for nearly three-quarters of the monthly increase in the consumer price index. Meanwhile, consumers surveyed by the University of Michigan said they blamed the war for the worsening economy, and the sentiment index fell below its nadir from when post-pandemic inflation was at its worst.” [Politico, 4/10/26]
March 2026: Inflation Rose “To Its Highest Level In Two Years,” And Consumers “Blamed The War For The Worsening Economy.” “Inflation shot up to its highest level in two years in March, and consumer sentiment is at a record low. As the effects of President Donald Trump’s war with Iran ripple across the economy, the combination of surging prices and grim attitudes is a warning sign to Republicans seeking to maintain control of Congress in the midterm elections. Oil and gas prices exploded in March as global energy markets absorbed a once-in-a-generation supply shock from the war with Iran. […] Meanwhile, consumers surveyed by the University of Michigan said they blamed the war for the worsening economy, and the sentiment index fell below its nadir from when post-pandemic inflation was at its worst.” [Politico, 4/10/26]
- Politico Headline: “‘This Is Very Real’: Surging Gas Prices Drive Inflation To Highest Level In Two Years.” [Politico, 4/10/26]
Economic Effects From The Iran War Were Expected To Last For Months, Possibly Years, Affecting A Host Of Other Industries Such As Housing And Food, And Were Expected To Prolong Inflation, Raising The Possibility That The Fed Will Increase Interest Rates
Politico Headline: “Trump Promised A Post-War Economic Rebound. The Damage May Linger Far Longer.” [Politico, 4/5/26]
Industry Analysts Said The Economic Effects Of The Iran War “Will Take Months, Possibly Years, To Unwind,” Affecting Housing, Farmers, And The Plastic Supply Chain. “President Donald Trump is promising the economy will snap back as soon as the Iran war ends. But the economic wounds may prove slow to heal. Beyond spiking oil prices, many of the war's domestic knock-on effects — farmers' scrambled planting decisions, upended plastic supply chains and a depressed spring housing market — will take months, possibly years, to unwind, industry analysts say. That leaves the administration with a limping economy heading into a midterm election season it had planned to spend selling its successes.” [Politico, 4/5/26]
An Oil Analyst “Predicted Price Spikes For Transportation, The Food Industry, Farming, Shipping And More.” “The world’s energy supplies are only just now beginning to show the strain of actual fuel shortages, said Rory Johnston, an oil analyst who writes the newsletter ‘Commodity Context.’ […] When diesel prices spike, Johnston added, it quickly ripples through the economy. He predicted price spikes for transportation, the food industry, farming, shipping and more — and that the real costs of diesel are just beginning to get priced into the system beyond a consumer’s local gas station. Those effects are already showing up in the housing market, where the war’s inflationary pressure has reversed months of hard-won progress on affordability.” [Politico, 4/5/26]
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Noted That Higher Oil Prices From The War In Iran Were Projected To Prolong Inflation. “With inflation elevated by tariffs and oil, and the labor market soft but not collapsing, some officials are hinting that their next move could be either higher or lower. It is a subtle but significant shift. As recently as a few weeks ago, the path looked firmly downward. But in the past week, many officials have sounded hawkish notes. Governor Lisa Cook, who consistently votes with the Fed’s majority, said that as higher energy prices from the Iran war add to price pressures, prolonged inflation is again the dominant risk that the Fed faces.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/29/26]
Due To Concern Over Inflation, Traders And Economics Experts Expected The Fed To Either Keep Interest Rates Steady Or Raise Rates. “Shifting perceptions of the Fed explain why longer-term interest rates have risen sharply since the war with Iran began. Traders have raised where they think rates will be in the future, and even priced in a small possibility of a rate increase this year. As those expectations get reflected in bond yields, businesses and households feel the consequences immediately, such as through higher mortgage rates. […] But because the Iran war has raised their inflation anxiety, the Fed has little reason to push back now, said Matthew Luzzetti, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank. He said the market’s new expectation of steady or higher rates ahead is working in the Fed’s favor.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/29/26]