Michigan families are getting squeezed from every direction, and now the pain is hitting hardest at the gas pump. Congressmen John James, Bill Huizenga, and Tom Barrett have backed policies that helped create today’s cost crisis. Michigan drivers are now paying an average of $4.83 per gallon, among the highest in the country and more than a dollar higher than a year ago. For working families, these prices are costing people money just to get to work, and people are falling behind on the basics like putting food on the table.
A major driver of these rising costs is the escalating conflict involving Iran, which has disrupted global oil markets and threatened critical supply routes like the Strait of Hormuz. That instability is pushing prices higher worldwide, and Americans are paying for it every time they fill up. Instead of working to lower costs, James, Huizenga, and Barrett have supported tariffs that raised prices on everyday goods, adding even more pressure on families already stretched thin.
“Every week it feels like something else gets more expensive, and gas is something no one can avoid having to get,” said Sheila, an MI-07 resident. “Groceries still have to get delivered to the store, people still have to take their kids to school, and get to work themselves. Too many people don’t know how they’ll make it, especially those like me on fixed income. Congressman Barrett is in Washington making decisions that don’t seem to align with the reality of what things actually cost and the wages people have to make ends meet. It feels completely out of touch with what people are dealing with every day. We are calling on Congressman Barrett to undo these harmful tax cuts for billionaires and fund our vital social programs instead.”
And yet, as Michiganders pay some of the highest gas prices in the nation, Republicans, like Rep. John James, are claiming they are “keeping prices low.” That claim is not just wrong, it is completely disconnected from reality. While families watch prices climb week after week, Reps. Barrett, Huzienga and James continue praising the same agenda that is driving those costs higher.
Here more about what Michiganders are saying about high gas prices:
Associated Press- “Michigan residents upset with soaring prices at the pump protest at gas station”
BBC: “'It's just ridiculous': Americans react to gas prices”
ABC News: “US gas prices reaching new heights as war in Iran drags on”
WDIV Local 4 - “Gas prices surge 32-cents overnight.”
