Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) has taken aim at President Donald Trump, blaming his administration's military actions in Iran for the high fuel and grocery prices that are squeezing American households.
In a series of posts on X on Thursday, Cortez Masto laid out how the conflict is hitting consumers beyond just the pump. "Almost everything we buy must be carried by a truck at some point on the way from the farm or factory to the storefront," she said. The senator noted that fuel costs are baked into the price of goods on store shelves. "For food, there's even more gas costs built in for the tractors and other farm equipment," she added.
The impact extends to Nevada's tourism-dependent economy. Cortez Masto pointed out that "high aviation fuel prices" are driving up the cost of flight tickets, leading to fewer visitors. "In a tourism economy, fewer visitors = fewer jobs," she said.
She accused the Trump administration of ignoring the "reality" of the situation while pursuing "this war of choice" in Iran. "Americans are suffering with these high prices, and we deserve a President who actually cares about bringing these costs down," she said.
According to AAA data, the national average price for a gallon of gas stood at $4.391 on Friday, slightly down from $4.426 the day before. Diesel averaged $5.522 per gallon nationally. In Nevada, gas cost $5.186 per gallon, with diesel at $6.105. California residents continue to pay the highest prices in the U.S., with gas at $6.059 per gallon and diesel at $7.343.
There may be some relief on the horizon for diesel drivers in the Midwest. GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said prices could drop by more than 50 cents to $1 per gallon in Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that nearly 30% of cumulative vehicle sales globally could be EVs as fuel costs remain elevated.
