House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) urged calm on Monday after the price of crude oil surged due to fallout from the Iran war.
On Monday, crude oil prices climbed to $119.50 a barrel before falling back. They leveled off to hover around $100 per barrel by late Monday morning. Oil prices had not surged this high since 2022.
“Yes, there are going to be some temporary effects on our domestic economy, but as soon as this is taken care of, those prices will tumble, and people will recognize that this was a short-term cost to pay for a major long-term gain in terms of peace and security,” said Emmer on CNBC.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump also emphasized that the rise in oil prices would be temporary. “Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Emmer echoed Trump’s statement, saying a price increase would be a “short-term experience.”
“No other terrorist organization in the world has killed more Americans than this regime in Iran,” he said
The oil market volatility, however, threatens to undercut the Republican Party’s affordability messaging ahead of the midterm elections. Voters also face broader economic signs, such as rising gas prices and a February economic report showing 92,000 jobs lost.
Democrats have seized on the uncertainty surrounding what could be a prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
“The American people want us to focus on making their life better, making their life more affordable, not getting involved in another endless war in the Middle East that is going to end in failure,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said on CNN last week.
Some Republicans have also acknowledged the potential political risks.
IRAN’S SPRAY-AND-PRAY STRATEGY AIMS TO WIDEN THE BATTLEFIELD, SPREAD CONSEQUENCES
“There’s a lot of things that run the risk of undermining affordability, and I would say this is a piece of that puzzle,” Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) told the Washington Examiner on Sunday.
On Monday, Emmer and House Republicans gathered in Doral, Florida, for a three-day conference aimed at sharpening their political messaging for the 2026 elections.
