ICYMI: Pappas, Kelly Pen Union Leader Op-Ed Highlighting Legislation to Suspend Federal Gas Tax Amid Rising Gas Prices

MANCHESTER, NH — In case you missed it, Congressmen Chris Pappas and U.S. Senator Mark Kelly penned a recent op-ed in the Union Leader calling on Congress to pass their bill to suspend the federal gas tax. 

Earlier this month, Pappas introduced the Gas Prices Relief Act of 2026 — new legislation to deliver relief at the gas pump by suspending the federal gas tax. Kelly introduced companion legislation in the Senate. In their op-ed, Pappas and Kelly underscore the financial burden families already grappling with rising costs are facing as a result of the Trump Administration’s war in Iran. 

The op-ed comes on the heels of Kelly’s recent visit to New Hampshire where he joined Pappas on the campaign trail to highlight the importance of New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate race — one of the most competitive contests in the country and a must-win for Democrats looking to take back the Senate majority. Pappas and Kelly hosted a joint town hall taking questions from Granite State veterans on a wide array of topics from the Iran war to the Republican affordability crisis.

You can read more about Kelly’s Granite State visit in the Union Leader, Boston Globe, WMUR and National Journal and read Pappas and Kelly’s op-ed in full below: 

Union Leader: The Cost of Conflict is Paid by American Families

By Congressman Chris Pappas and Senator Mark Kelly

  • In January, Americans paid an average of $2.81 per gallon for their gas. In March, that number jumped to $3.79 a gallon. We were just at a gas station in Bedford the other day where it cost $3.89.
  • For families already grappling with rising costs — in New Hampshire, Arizona, and communities across the country — that increase hits household budgets hard.
  • Costs are rising because Donald Trump didn’t plan for how his war in Iran would spread throughout the region, disrupt critical trade routes, and put our economic and national security at risk.
  • That is why we have worked together on legislation to ease the burden Americans face every time they pull up to the pump. Our bill, The Gas Prices Relief Act of 2026, would suspend the federal gas tax and provide immediate relief to families and small businesses grappling with high fuel prices while maintaining the investments needed to keep our infrastructure strong.
  • This legislation will also hold oil and gas companies accountable, making sure they pass the benefits of this tax cut on to the consumers struggling to fill their gas tanks.
  • Energy costs affect nearly every part of everyday life and increase the price of almost everything you buy. Diesel prices going up means it costs more to transport food and goods. Someone is paying for that, whether it’s the truck driver moving products, the small business owner stocking their shelves, or the person shopping at the store. And for folks who drive to work or to get their kids from school, paying a buck more for a gallon of gas puts a real strain on the family budget.
  • When global instability drives gas prices higher, working families, seniors, and small businesses feel it immediately. Approaching trade and foreign policy with clear eyes and strategic planning is not only a matter of national security, but a matter of economic security for millions of Americans.
  • But the true cost of war cannot be measured only in dollars.
  • Every decision to escalate conflict carries another price, one paid in the lives of American service members, the sacrifices of military families, and the opportunities at home that go unrealized.
  • And every time President Trump takes reckless military or economic action without a plan, he turns away from investing in lowering costs for working families and weakens the constitutional system designed to scrutinize decisions of this importance.
  • Congress is a critical check on executive power so that decisions of war and peace live up to the principles that have guided us for nearly 250 years, no matter who the president is. And under a Republican majority, Donald Trump has been emboldened to spend America’s resources the same way he has always spent his own money: recklessly and without accountability.
  • President Trump continues to show a complete disregard for the gravity of sending troops into harm’s way. And by imposing sweeping tariffs that drive up prices for families and small businesses, he has shown the same disregard for the financial stability of American households.
  • The pattern is clear. Whether it’s about matters of war or economic policy, the cost of these decisions ultimately falls on hardworking Americans.
  • At a time when families are already struggling with the cost of living — from groceries to housing to utilities — Washington should be focused on lowering costs and strengthening economic security, not starting new conflicts that make those challenges worse.
  • That work is not — and should not — be partisan. Protecting American troops, defending the Constitution, and ensuring families can afford to live and work in this country are responsibilities that cross party lines. This is the work that we’ll continue to do on behalf of our constituents in Arizona, New Hampshire, and for Americans across the country.

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