Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer blamed President Donald Trump's war with Iran for higher gasoline and diesel prices and urged the president to end the conflict. His Senate floor remarks accused Trump of wrongly assigning responsibility for the price increases to Ukraine.
Schumer cited a national gasoline price of $4.31 a gallon and said diesel prices had reached a record high. The remarks did not identify the source, date or geographic scope of those figures.
The New York senator pointed to Trump's own statement that gasoline prices would fall when the war ends. Schumer argued that the comment tied the conflict to the higher costs facing drivers.
Schumer also criticized Trump for describing the war's cost to Americans as “small potatoes.” He said motorists and consumers are paying more at the pump and experiencing broader inflation while U.S. troops remain at risk.
The remarks did not include an independent analysis of fuel markets, quantify the conflict's effect on prices or address other factors that can influence gasoline and diesel costs. Schumer presented the link between the war and prices as his assessment in a political argument on the Senate floor.
Schumer called on Trump to end the war if doing so would bring prices down. The release did not describe a legislative proposal or other Senate action tied to the demand.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.