Reps. Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry Voted to Cut Federal Assistance Programs That Help Working Families for a Fraction of the Cost of This War

March 13, 2026

PENNSYLVANIA - Two weeks into the United States-Israeli war on Iran, oil prices have jumped to over $100 dollars a barrel, impacting a range of necessities in the U.S. at a time when rising costs are burdening working families across the country. New reporting from the Associated Press outlines how rising oil prices can lead to higher transportation costs, more expensive groceries, and overall higher price tags and shipping costs for everyday essentials. In Pennsylvania, gas prices have increased by $0.53 per gallon over the last month, putting the state among the top 10 states for highest gas prices.

“While their constituents are struggling to pay their utility bills and put food on the table due to their votes, Reps. Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry are backing yet another cost-raising measure - this war in Iran. They support our government spending billions of taxpayer dollars per day to drop bombs in the Middle East, but not using taxpayer money to fund programs like SNAP and Medicaid that help taxpayers themselves afford basic necessities,” said Rachele Fortier, executive director of Affordable Pennsylvania. “This war is both expensive to wage and will bring rising costs across the board, making it more expensive for Americans to fill up their gas tanks, buy fresh food, and heat their homes. These congressmen must oppose this war and focus on fighting for lower costs for Pennsylvanians.”

Congressmen Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry have supported the U.S. strikes on Iran, with all three voting against a resolution to curb President Trump’s powers in the Iran war. This war is costing the U.S. billions of dollars a day and threatens to increase costs on working families in Pennsylvania at a time when many are already struggling to get by due to cost-raising tariffs and cuts to critical assistance programs like Medicaid and SNAP.

AP News: How the Iran war and surging oil prices are affecting consumers at the gas pump and beyond

• As the war in Iran ratchets up, the price of crude oil has been swinging sharply. Consumers are already feeling the effects of the war and its destabilizing effect on worldwide energy production.

• But you don’t have to drive a car to be affected. Nearly all goods — including food — that are bought and sold must travel from where they’re produced. Those costs will climb with higher gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices.

• Across the U.S., drivers were paying an average of $3.58 for a gallon of regular gasoline Wednesday, compared with $2.98 before the war started. Prices have increased about 20% since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

• Fuel surcharges will also rise — as shipping companies aim to pass along higher costs to their customers, ultimately making goods more expensive.

• Heating your home and cooking food with natural gas are also likely to cost more as the war grinds on.

• That could also affect the cost of products made from natural gas, such as petrochemical feedstock. It’s used to make plastic and rubber, as well as nitrogen fertilizer.

• The spike in oil prices likely won’t be felt immediately at U.S. grocery stores, said David Ortega, a professor of food economics and policy at Michigan State University. But if oil prices remain high for a month or more, he said, “we’re in different territory.”

• Economist Daco, of EY-Parthenon, estimated that the bump in gas prices could push monthly inflation to as high as 1% in March, which would be the highest monthly increase in four years. Yearly inflation would near 3% in that case.

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