Grim Milestone: Diesel Tops $6 per Gallon in RI

CRANSTON, RI -- President Trump’s war of choice with Iran is in its sixth month and now diesel prices in Rhode Island have surged past $6 per gallon for the first time, to $6.03, below the national average of $6.20, according to AAA . Considered one of the essential fuels for the U.S. economy, diesel is used to power everything from trucks to tractors to boats and construction and industrial machinery, as well as for electricity generation and home heating. Meanwhile, the average price of a regular gallon of gas in Rhode Island shot up to $4.36, driven by a roughly 20 percent increase in crude oil prices this month, topping $100 per barrel. U.S. Senator Jack Reed says that while the cost of oil can be complex, the current price hikes are driven almost exclusively by President Trump’s ill-conceived war of choice; the flawed assumptions of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other cabinet officials; and President Trump’s refusal to listen to experts, which left the Trump Administration flat-footed for Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz that predictably destabilized the global energy market. Reed also notes that Trump’s escalating trade wars with Canada and other countries are imposing needlessly high tariff taxes on Americans, making it harder for working families to afford gas, groceries, housing, healthcare, and more. “President Trump continues to impose high prices on Americans and is escalating the financial burden on consumers and businesses. Rhode Islanders are paying a de facto ‘Trump tax’ every time they fill up their cars and the Trump price hikes extend well beyond the pump. The high cost of diesel adds higher costs to groceries, utilities, and nearly everything that gets shipped. Coupled with Trump’s tariff regime and trade wars, Americans are getting hit with a one-two punch by the Trump Administration. Every time they get a bill in the mail these days, they can see that it is higher because of President Trump’s recklessness,” said Reed. Regular unleaded gasoline in Rhode Island averaged $2.94 the week before President Trump launched the Iran war -- $1.42 less per gallon than it is today. Senator Reed says every American is paying higher prices today due to President Trump’s hubris, ego, lack of foresight, and repeated blunders -- which includes making Jared Kushner, who is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, who is President Trump’s friend, donor, and golfing buddy -- the chief diplomatic negotiators with Iran. “President Trump is raising prices on Americans in all fifty states, but his price hikes could hit New England especially hard because many homes in this area depend on heating oil in the winter. He is also sticking it to agricultural states, which are heavily dependent on diesel. The problems in the Strait of Hormuz were widely predicted by nearly everyone but President Trump and his ‘yes men’ cabinet. Now all Americans are paying the price for Trump’s poor choices and lack of judgement,” said Reed. According to Brown University’s Iran War Cost Energy Tracker , the energy burden on American citizens – the extra costs for gas and diesel they are forced to pay because of Trump’s war with Iran -- has risen to $105 billion. That means the average family has been forced to pay nearly $800 more for products due to elevated gas and diesel prices over the past six months because of Donald Trump’s war. However, while average Americans are forced to pay out more for gas, the Trump family has increased its fossil fuel stock holdings, which have grown substantially during the war, netting President Trump’s family a handsome sum.