Warren, Heinrich Press White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Trump Administration’s Plans to Lower Energy Prices

Warren, Heinrich Press White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Trump Administration's Plans to Lower Energy Prices

Letter Follows President Trump's Claims of "Fake Inflation," as Americans Pay More Than $4 a Gallon for Gasoline

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, pressing for details on the Administration's plan to address soaring energy prices caused by President Trump's war with Iran.

Gas prices this week reached their highest level in four years. The national average is now $4.39 per gallon - more than $1.25 higher per gallon than when President Trump took office - a direct result of Trump's war with Iran, which has disrupted roughly one-fifth of the global oil supply by effectively halting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Monthly energy inflation in March was the highest in more than 20 years. Despite this, on April 16, President Trump dismissed skyrocketing costs as "fake inflation."

"Economists are warning that the surge in energy prices will reverberate throughout the global economy, and the United States is not immune to the resulting inflationary effects. Already Americans are seeing the cost of consumer goods increase for everything from airline tickets to clothing and groceries," wrote the Senators. "In light of this, we write to seek clarification on whether you and other Administration officials agree that rising energy prices are 'fake' and to request additional information on the steps you and the President will take to lower prices for Americans."

The Senators concluded: "More than a week has passed since Trump made these comments, and there is no evidence that prices are stabilizing and nothing to impress American families… Dismissing the economic pain of millions of Americans as 'fake' while offering nothing but vague reassurances is not a policy - it is an abdication of responsibility. To understand what, if anything, this Administration is doing to address the surging energy prices its reckless and illegal war with Iran has helped create, we request answers to the following questions no later than May 14, 2026."

In January, Ranking Member Warren launched a new probe into President Trump's failure on affordability:

• In January, Warren released a new report highlighting how American families paid $2,120 more in 2025 because of inflation under Trump - driven, in part, by the President's chaotic and illegal tariffs.
• In February, Senator Warren directly requested the President's plans to lower costs for families after he failed to deliver any during his State of the Union Address.
• In February, Senator Warren requested information from Amazon about the scale and timing of price increases on its platform, the extent to which they have been caused by President Trump's actions, and what Amazon is doing to mitigate their impact.
• In March, Senator Warren requested information from coffee companies on how President Trump's chaotic tariffs have driven up coffee prices and hit families' pocketbooks.
• In April, Warren released a new report detailing how "Trump Fees" are costing Americans more than $86 billion each year.

###

• Print
• Email
• Tweet