Gas Prices Continue to Rise. Tom Cotton Either Doesn’t Know or Doesn't Care.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The day after Tom Cotton publicly thanked the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America for “helping keep gas prices low for Arkansans,” AAA reports that gas prices in Arkansas jumped 24 cents per gallon this week amid rising oil prices tied to the ongoing war in Iran.

Hallie Shoffner, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate issued the following statement: 

“Yesterday, Tom Cotton said gas prices in Arkansas are low, but $3.79 per gallon is not low for my family or anyone I talk to as I travel this state. In fact, it is almost $1 higher than one year ago.

“Look, the people who own and operate the convenience stores that sell gas are not the problem. They are primarily small business owners trying to make a living.

“The problem is the ill-advised war in Iran, a war Tom Cotton has been openly advocating for since 2015. Back then, Cotton said military action against Iran would take ‘several days.’

“Well, Tom, we are five months into this war. When you add the rising cost of gas and diesel to what the Pentagon has spent, American households are already on the hook for about $1,100 each.

“But Tom Cotton got the more than $37 billion dollar war he wanted, and Arkansans are paying the price. At the gas pump. At the grocery store. On the farm.

“And the meter is still running.

“That’s the cost of Tom Cotton. And Arkansas can’t afford six more years.”

Background

According to AAA, the statewide average for regular unleaded gasoline reached approximately $3.79 per gallon, 24 cents higher than one week earlier and 99 cents higher than at the same time last year. AAA attributed the increase to rising crude-oil prices and continued volatility surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

In April 2015, Cotton argued that military action against Iran would involve “several days of air and naval bombing.” The war that began in February has now continued for nearly five months.

The Pentagon estimates that the war has cost the United States $37.5 billion to date, and is asking Congress for more. When economists accounted for additional costs, primarily higher gas prices, they estimated that the war has already cost U.S. households about $1,100 each.

About Hallie Shoffner

Hallie Shoffner is a wife, mother, sixth-generation Arkansan, row crop farmer and small business owner. She’s running for US Senate to fight for her neighbors because hardworking Arkansans shouldn’t have to choose between affording their life and enjoying it; Arkansans deserve both health insurance and access to providers; and every community should have first-rate infrastructure and a fighting chance: Arkansas farmers have earned a forward-thinking Farm Bill, and every family is entitled to reliably clean water, strong schools, affordable housing, high-quality childcare and elder care, and broadband so they can compete in a global economy. For more information, visit https://www.hallieshoffner.com.