①A research report from Brown University shows that since the outbreak of the Iran War, expenditures by Americans on fuel have increased by $41.5 billion; ②The rising cost of fuel has even spilled over into other industries, driving up U.S. inflation; ③Professor Jeff Colgan of Brown University stated that these funds could have been used in many more constructive ways to improve transportation infrastructure in the United States.
Cailian Press, May 18 (Editor Zhou Ziyi) According to the latest research, since Donald Trump initiated the war against Iran, expenditures by Americans on fuel have increased by more than $40 billion, a sum sufficient to repair the country’s bridge network or undertake a large-scale upgrade of the air traffic control system.
A research report from the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University shows that as of Sunday evening (May 17), this geopolitical conflict has cost American consumers $41.5 billion due to rising gasoline and diesel prices — equating to a loss of $316 per American household.
Jeff Colgan, a professor of political science at Brown University, stated, “At the national level, we are spending such an enormous amount of money on additional fuel costs, which could have been used in much more constructive ways to improve America’s transportation infrastructure — frankly, these infrastructures indeed need more attention.”
This money could have done a lot…
The Iran War has impacted the world’s largest economy, pushing the U.S. inflation rate to its highest level since the Russia-Ukraine conflict and creating increasingly serious political issues for President Trump.
The rising cost of fuel not only imposes an economic burden on drivers but has also spread to other industries, such as driving up the prices of various goods from food to airline tickets.
Notably, the summer driving season will begin next week, when gasoline demand is expected to reach its annual peak.
The study pointed out that this additional $41.5 billion in fuel expenditure exceeds the $40 billion federal bridge reconstruction project (aimed at repairing major bridges), surpasses the $31.5 billion required to completely reset the U.S. air traffic control system, and even exceeds the $18.9 billion federal electric vehicle charging and electrification project proposed by former President Biden (but now withdrawn).
Colgan noted, “If we had not spent money on the high fuel costs associated with a war that most Americans did not want, we could have built the transportation infrastructure of the future.”
To alleviate the energy crisis, the Trump administration has released a record amount of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, relaxed regulatory restrictions on transportation and fuel, and proposed suspending federal taxes on gasoline and diesel.
However, last week, President Trump’s remarks caused a stir when he stated that domestic inflation had not prompted him to ‘even slightly’ consider ending the war.
He told reporters at the time, “I don’t consider the economic situation of Americans, I don’t consider anyone’s situation. I only consider one thing – we cannot let Iran have nuclear weapons. That’s all.”
