Op-Ed from Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, representing North Carolina's 12th Congressional District

The situation unfolding in the Strait of Hormuz is a clear reminder that what happens across the globe has real consequences here at home.

Nearly one-fifth of the world's oil supply moves through that narrow waterway. When it is disrupted, the impact is immediate - and families across this country are already feeling it.

Energy prices are rising. At the pump, North Carolinians are paying more. Airlines are facing higher fuel costs, and those increases are showing up in ticket prices. Our transportation systems - the trucks, ships, and planes that carry the goods we rely on every day - are paying more for fuel, and those costs do not stay in the supply chain. They reach consumers.

As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I am especially concerned about what this means for our farmers. Fertilizer costs, which are closely tied to global energy markets, are increasing. And when it costs more to grow food, it costs more to buy food. That is the reality families are facing at the grocery store, and it is a serious burden for Black farmers and rural communities working to sustain their livelihoods.

This is not abstract. This is about affordability, access, and stability for everyday people.

And we cannot ignore the broader cost of our national priorities. As tensions rise abroad, so too does the likelihood of increased spending tied to conflict and instability. At the same time, here at home, families are struggling to afford basic health care.

Monday marks the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. At a time when the cost of health care has doubled or even tripled for many families, we should be focused on lowering costs and expanding access - not allowing those needs to be overshadowed.

The reality is this: the cost of conflict abroad is measured not only in dollars spent overseas, but in opportunities lost here at home. Resources that could help extend enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, reduce costs, and support working families are part of the same conversation about priorities.

Our responsibility is to the people we serve.

We must remain focused on protecting American families from rising costs, supporting our farmers and workers, and ensuring that health care is affordable and accessible - while pursuing thoughtful, responsible leadership in moments of global uncertainty.

What happens abroad does not stay abroad. It touches every household - from the gas pump to the grocery store to the cost of seeing a doctor - and it demands our attention, our concern and our action.