Looney, Duff Outraged as Trump Economic Advisor Says Consumers ‘Last of Our Concerns’
HARTFORD — Today, Senate President Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) were outraged by comments made by the Trump regime National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett on Tuesday, where Hassett claimed consumers are the “last of our concerns” as the Iran war continues.
As the war enters its fourth week and the prospect of it lasting for months looms, Hassett appeared on CNBC to discuss the economic consequences. Hassett said extending the war “wouldn’t really disrupt the US economy very much at all,” though it would “hurt consumers, and we’d have to think about what we’d have to do about that, but that’s really the last of our concerns right now.”
“After starting a lawless war with no plan, the Trump regime confirms what we’ve already known: Washington Republicans don’t care about the American public,” said Looney and Duff. “The Strait of Hormuz remains closed as a result of US actions, disrupting global trade and causing the price of just about everything to increase. The cost of a gallon of gas is up nearly $1 in the last month, and crude oil markets remain volatile. Americans were already struggling, and now they’re feeling the pain even more. We are calling on Connecticut Republicans to stand up for their constituents and denounce their MAGA colleagues for such a blatant disregard for affordability in our state. While the Trump regime’s behavior is both shameful and shameless, at least they’re willing to admit they no longer care about regular people.”
These latest comments come amid a turbulent environment where analysts increasingly believe the war with Iran, started with United States strikes on February 28, will stretch on for months, with extended impacts on global fuel and trade.
Those impacts are already apparent, as in less than a month, the average price of a gallon of gas in Connecticut rose by 78 cents, and the cost of a barrel of crude oil rose from $60 to more than $100. Increasing fuel costs will bleed into transportation and shipping, with a heavy impact on shipping.
Since the war started, the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil flows, has been effectively closed, triggering a global fuel crisis.
The cost increases layer on top of the cost of Trump tariffs – even though the initial ones were deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court in February, Trump immediately implemented 15% global tariffs that will remain in place for months.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193