New Report: Iowa Families Paying Millions More at the Pump

Nunn and Miller-Meeks Back War, Tariffs, and Corporate Tax Breaks While Iowans Foot the Bill

DES MOINES — A new Joint Economic Committee report shows Iowa families have already paid more than $157 million extra for gasoline since the start of Trump’s war with Iran, a sharp and immediate hit to households already struggling with rising costs.

Since February 28 of this year, gas prices have surged, forcing families to pay 37 percent more at the pump. Filling up a pickup truck now costs nearly $40 more than it did just weeks ago. Nationwide, that has added up to $16 billion in additional gas costs, with no relief in sight. And even if the war were to end tomorrow, Iowans won’t see immediate relief; prices will likely remain elevated because gas prices historically fall much more slowly than crude oil prices.

For Iowans, these increases are hitting daily life, from commutes to work to basic errands, stretching already tight budgets even further.

“I am a DoorDash gig worker and I rely on my vehicle to make income,” said Ana, an Iowan struggling with rising costs. “Right now, when I’m putting gas in my car, we’re looking at $3.50 a gallon. That’s literally a dollar higher than it was last month. So now my earnings are substantially lower.”

Rather than working to bring costs down, Representatives Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks have backed the very policies driving them up. Both have voted to support Trump’s tariffs, which have raised prices on everyday goods, and the escalating war that is now driving gas prices higher. At the same time, they have voted to cut Medicaid and SNAP, weakening the economic stability of the very communities now being squeezed, and failed to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits before they expired, sending health care costs skyrocketing for thousands of Iowans.

Taken together, these decisions have created a perfect storm for working families: higher costs at the pump, higher premiums, and fewer supports to fall back on.

Even now, as families feel the strain, neither Nunn nor Miller-Meeks has promised to protect Iowans from further cuts to Medicaid to fund additional war spending, doubling down on priorities that leave Iowans paying more while getting less. At a moment when working families need relief, Trump and Congressional Republicans are choosing to pour more money into war and protect tax breaks for corporations and billionaires. Iowans are left footing the bill.