Americans Paid $53 Billion Extra for Fuel Since Iran War Began, Democratic Senator Says

A Democratic senator said Americans have paid $53 billion more for gas and diesel since the Iran war began. The senator made the statement in a social media post on Wednesday and contrasted it with comments from Treasury officials who described inflation as a short-term blip.

The senator criticized those comments as disconnected from the experience of families paying at the pump. The senator referenced questions posed during a hearing by another Democratic senator who serves on the Joint Economic Committee.

The Joint Economic Committee said in its own statement that Americans have paid $43 billion more for gas since the war began. Treasury officials replied that broader economic data remains strong aside from the temporary inflation effect. >"Except for inflation, which I believe is going to be a short-term blip, the economic data is very strong." — Treasury officials, Wednesday (Benzinga)