ICYMI: Pappas Pushes Gas Tax Cut as Trump’s War in Iran Hits Granite State Wallets

MANCHESTER, NH – In case you missed it, the Keene Sentinel recently reported that New Hampshire transportation businesses are feeling the squeeze as Trump’s war of choice with Iran continues driving up Granite State gas prices.

Across New Hampshire, busing companies, taxi services and other transportation-based businesses are being forced to adapt to rising operating costs as gas prices skyrocket — with national averages topping $4.10 per gallon. Many of these businesses, operating with no corporate cushion, are being forced to absorb increased costs or raise prices for consumers. The bottom line: Main Street suffers and working Granite Staters pay more.

Congressman Chris Pappas is fighting to provide relief. Pappas’s Gas Prices Relief Act of 2026 would deliver immediate relief at the gas pump by suspending the federal gas tax — saving Granite Staters 18.4 cents-per-gallon. While Republicans refuse to bring the conflict in Iran to a close and shrug off rising gas prices nationwide, Pappas is fighting to lower costs for New Hampshire.

Pappas is running for Senate to take on the corporate special interests that are raising prices and making it harder for Granite Staters to get ahead — from energy to health care to groceries to housing, Pappas is working to tackle the affordability crisis, hold corporate special interests accountable, and help bring costs down.

Read excerpts from the Keene Sentinel below: 

Keene Sentinel: High gas prices exhaust local transportation companies

By Noah Diedrich, 4/25/26

Melissa Bassingthwaite was surprised at how quickly her company’s weekly fuel prices shot up almost $1,500.

Bassingthwaite, who co-owns Thomas Transportation in Swanzey, said her business has spent $4,700 filling up in the past few weeks, a far cry from the $3,200 to $3,500 it typically pays.

To cope, the company — which provides about 20 trips a week to destinations like Manchester or Boston — has had to implement a fuel surcharge, which varies depending on distance and the size of the vehicle, Bassingthwaite said.

[…]

Across the U.S., gas prices have jumped amid the country’s war with Iran and closure and uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a key transportation corridor for the world’s oil supply along the Iranian coast.

The conflict has caused a historic surge at the pump. In March, the United States saw the largest jump in average monthly gas prices in six decades, according to reporting by The Associated Press.

[…]

Karissa Adams, general manager of Adventure Limousine and Transportation in Keene, said the high prices at the pump are hurting the business.

“Fuel isn’t an option for us — we have to put gas in our vehicles,” she said. “We’re hopeful [the prices are] going to come down, but we can’t eat everything either.”

Adventure Limousine — which provides transportation to and from medical appointments, schools in New Hampshire and Vermont, airports and more — has seen at least a 20 percent increase in fuel costs, amounting to an extra $500 to $1,000 per week, Adams said.

[…]

For the business, it’s a tough choice between having to absorb the cost, or having to tell customers that if gas gets above a certain price, there will be an extra charge.

There’s risk involved with the latter, Adams said. Because of extra fuel charges, upset customers may not give the company their business going forward.

Like Adams’ business, trucking and shipping companies that operate within the region are having to increase prices to contend with costs.

Old Dominion Freight Line, a multinational freight company with a service center in Walpole, has increased its fee from 28 percent to 46 percent since the beginning of March, according to information on its website.

The same goes for Performance Food Services, a food delivery company that serves the Monadnock Region. Its fuel surcharge policy applies a $9 fee in New England when diesel prices are between $5.500 and $5.999 per gallon.

As of April 20, diesel in New England was close to $5.862 per gallon, according to data on the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s website.

In Keene, Sunshine Taxi owner Mark Woolsey said he hasn’t had to increase his rate so far but may have to in the future.

“Where we used to spend $40, we now spend $60,” he said. “At the end of the week, it adds up.”

While he’d like to keep his rate as low as possible, Woolsey said he’s watching fuel prices and seeing how the federal government handles the situation in the Middle East.

The cab company, which sees anywhere between 25 to 50 riders a day, is also feeling the effects of a more expensive cost of living in general, Woolsey said. Some people have stopped taking cabs, opting instead to walk or simply not go anywhere.

“It’s not good for everyone, even the everyday working person,” he said. “Everyone’s suffering.”

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