Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today delivered remarks from the Senate floor on how President Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional war in Iran has created immense economic hardship for Americans already struggling to make ends meet. In his remarks, Senator Welch underscored how the president’s unilateral decision to go to war with Iran has hit Vermont’s rural communities especially hard, including driving up the cost of gas and groceries, pushing affordable air travel further out of reach, and putting immense strain on farmers still grappling with President Trump’s disastrous economic policies. “No matter which way you look at it, the war in Iran has been a disaster on all fronts. It has nowhere near come close to achieving its goals, and there’s no negotiations going on. Essentially, there’s a dance—it’s about trying to do face-saving for President Trump. We can change it. We’ve got to end the war”, said Senator Welch . “We have to come to grips with the reality that this war continues to escalate the incredible pressure that our families, our farmers, our industries, our small businesses are facing. We’ve got to bring it to an end. We’ve got to get inflation down. We’ve got to make America more affordable.” Read Senator Welch’s full remarks as delivered here and watch his speech below : Read key excerpts from Senator Welch’s speech: “We shouldn’t impose these kinds of decisions on Americans for a pointless and destructive war. It is not doing us any good and causing us a lot of pain. But President Trump has repeatedly shown that he has no qualms about doing this. He says: ‘I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.’ I believe him. He doesn’t think about it because any of us who are thinking about it know that Americans’ financial situation has deteriorated as a result of this war. “You know, I think the president and all of us who serve here—our number one priority should be finding ways to make Americans’ lives better and more affordable. That’s not what the president says is his goal. So, while the president isn’t thinking about this affordability challenge, let me tell you who is, and it’s Vermonters. “Kirby in South Burlington said: ‘Honestly, gas prices are ridiculous. It’s just way too much to fill up. We barely are saving anything, maybe 50 bucks a month. With prices of gas and food and everything else going up, we’ve eaten through our savings.” [It’s] creating enormous economic insecurity. David, a Vermonter who works in the construction industry said: ‘It’s painful to the pocketbook.’ Sarah, a substitute teacher in Burlington said about the increases in gas prices: ‘It’s definitely going to be a new budget item in a different category.’ “Ryan Bellavance, the President of Bellavance Trucking—a revered small business in our state; operates a fleet of nearly 100 trucks based out of Barre—said: ‘It’s going to be fine until the people stop buying, you know, and then everything comes to a halt.’ That’s down the road and not that far down the road. ••• “The American people deserve transparency about how the skyrocketing jet fuel prices will impact their wallets in the coming weeks and months. I partnered with my colleagues from Illinois, Senator Duckworth, and Connecticut, Senator Blumenthal, in writing a letter to Airlines for America—whose members include major carriers like Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, FedEx, JetBlue, Southwest, United, and UPS—seeking information about the measures that airlines plan to take in response to these higher jet fuel costs and how rising prices will hurt our broader air travel industry. And, by the way, one of the threats to our air travel industry is service that goes to rural airports. The essential, the essential service that is so vital to the well-being of the economies of rural parts of Vermont and rural parts of America.” ••• As summer travel ramps up, Senator Welch partnered with Senators Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in expressing serious concern to Airlines for America (A4A) about the impact skyrocketing jet fuel prices will have on American consumers and the airline industry in the coming weeks and months. The Senators requested information from A4A about the impact the war with Iran is having on their members, the measures airlines plan to take in response to higher jet fuel costs, and how rising prices will hurt the broader air travel industry. ###