Gas prices threaten GOP lawmakers’ plans to win on affordability
High gas prices are listed at a Chevron gas station in Los Angeles on March 9, 2026, due to rising gas prices amid the ongoing war with Iran.
Frederic J. Brown | Afp | Getty Images
Rising gas prices and the lack of a clear end to the Iran war are clashing with the GOP’s plans to win the November election with a message of affordability.
Republican U.S. House lawmakers met in Miami this week to lay out a legislative agenda and midterm messaging that will highlight lower prices and new tax cuts.
Some lawmakers who attended the meeting acknowledged that gas prices are up more than 60 cents from a month ago. According to AAA It’s painful, but they continue to trust President Donald Trump’s promise that the conflict in Iran will end soon and gas prices will drop again, he said.
The morning after Trump assured both lawmakers and markets that the war was ahead of schedule and would end soon, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reiterated that the war was “almost complete” and “gas prices will adjust from now on.”
“The Strait of Hormuz has been closed by the regime there, but it will reopen, and that will take a few weeks, but gas prices will drop again,” Johnson told reporters at the GOP rally.
Many lawmakers said they hope the war will end in the coming weeks and gas prices will fall, saving them from having to deal with a political headache close to Election Day in November.
But other members privately expressed concern that the impact of gas prices and uncertainty over the war could overshadow the policy-focused agenda. Republicans control the House of Representatives by a tight 218-214 margin, with three seats open. R-Ga. A special election for the seat from which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned is scheduled for Tuesday.
“Is the target clear? Are other allies involved? What’s going to happen to energy prices? We haven’t got answers to all the relevant questions yet,” said one GOP lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to oppose the party’s line. The Strait of Hormuz needs to be “re-opened”.
A second GOP lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said high gas prices are “a problem” but added, “I’m hopeful that by Election Day those prices will come down.”
Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said high gas prices need to be addressed, noting he’s already paying more at the pump.
“We’re definitely seeing short-term increases. And they’re concerning,” he said in a brief interview at the Republican convention.
Guthrie added that Republicans should explain why attacks on Iran are needed in the first place, which he defined as preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and preventing the United States and its allies from being attacked first.
“I think people need to understand why,” Guthrie said. “We need to explain exactly why [Trump’s] He’s doing what he did in Iran. “I know you talk about it, but I think it needs to continue because people need to continue to hear it.”
War is politically unpopular; numerous polls show that a majority of Americans do not support the war. About 29% of Americans A majority of those who approve of the war in Iran expect gas prices to continue rising, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., said he has heard concerns from constituents about the rise in oil prices. He responded by arguing that this price crunch would be worth it once Iran came under the leadership of a new government.
“I liken it to repairing a street. It’s always a pain to repair a street, especially on your own street, with traffic congestion and everything,” he said. “But there comes a day when they release the cones and stuff, and it’s smooth and easy and expanded and safer, and that’s what happens.”
