GOP rep says Americans feel ‘fatigue’ in diesel prices increasing

Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) said Sunday that Americans are “fatigued” about rising diesel prices amid the Iran war.

“I think there is some fatigue in that the American people see diesel prices increasing,” Crawford told host Chris Stirewalt on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”

“And why that matters as much as gasoline, if not more, is because our whole supply chain is fueled by diesel fuel,” the Arkansas Republican added.

Diesel costs nearly $6.50 per gallon on average nationally, according to AAA . The fuel costs roughly 85 cents more than a month ago and about $2.80 more than a year ago.

Fuel costs across the board remain elevated amid the nearly seven month conflict, as shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea have seen diminished traffic due to restrictions from the Iranian military and the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group, respectively.

While President Trump backed a ban on diesel exports this week, Energy Secretary Chris Wright threw cold water on the idea, saying Wednesday that such a policy “definitely doesn’t work.”

“If they were to just outright ban exports for 90 days, it probably would, in the short term, lead to lower prices,” Patrick de Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told The Hill this week.

“But then, as prices fall, refiners would probably respond, and how they do that could vary significantly,” he added.

Crawford noted the impact rising diesel prices has on the rest of the economy, saying “everything goes up” in response.

“I think that’s made people uncomfortable,” the GOP lawmaker noted, before echoing President Trump in arguing the economic pain is worth it to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.

“But here’s something that would make you even more uncomfortable, and that is Iran with a nuclear weapon. … Is it worth it to pay a little bit more in diesel prices, hopefully in the short term, to neutralize their ability to arm in a nuclear way?” the House Intelligence Committee chair told Stirewalt.

Crawford continued, “Or are we just going to say, let’s just cut bait here and move on, cut our losses and move on? We cannot have a nuclear-armed Iran. We just can’t. And it’s going to make us a little bit uncomfortable.”