U.S. Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his war with Iran are driving up the cost of living. He made the statement in a post on X within hours of the federal government releasing September inflation figures. The Virginia Democrat, a member of the House Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and Homeland Security, has made opposition to the Iran conflict a central part of his work in Congress since it began in February.
Walkinshaw posted his message at 9:55 a.m. on October 14, 2026. The post, in its entirety, read:
“Today’s inflation report:
· Prices up 3.7%
· Gas up 34%Paychecks aren’t keeping up and families fall further behind. Trump’s tariffs and his war of choice with Iran are to blame.
He doesn’t care.”
What the Inflation Report Shows
The figures Walkinshaw cited match the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index release for September 2026. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that consumer prices rose 0.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in September, after a 0.4 percent increase in August. Over the 12 months through September, the all-items index rose 3.7 percent, up from 3.4 percent in the 12 months through August.
The BLS said the energy index climbed 20.4 percent over the past year, driven in large part by a 34.2 percent rise in the gasoline index over the same period. Gasoline rose 9.1 percent in September alone, accounting for more than half of the monthly increase in the overall index.
Reuters reported that the data dealt “another blow” to Trump and the Republican Party ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, and put an interest rate increase later this month back on the radar. Reuters also noted that price pressures broadened beyond energy, raising concerns among economists that underlying inflation could be getting sticky. Excluding food and energy, core CPI rose 0.3 percent in September, above the 0.2 percent economists polled by Reuters had forecast.
Paychecks and the Squeeze on Families
Walkinshaw’s claim that paychecks are not keeping up is also reflected in the data. Average hourly earnings for all employees declined 0.7 percent in September from a year earlier, after falling 0.3 percent in August. Reuters described the trend as underscoring the squeeze on consumers in what economists call the bottom of a K-shaped economy.
Public opinion points the same direction. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that about 78 percent of Americans blame Trump’s policies, including tariffs and the conflict in the Middle East, for rising prices that are outpacing wages. Surveys this month showed deteriorating consumer sentiment and a sharp drop in Trump’s approval rating, driven by anxiety over the cost of living.
Fuel Costs and the Tariff Question
The report’s fuel figures were stark. Reuters reported that other motor fuels, a category that includes diesel, jumped 11.9 percent in September and were up 60.9 percent from a year earlier, with diesel prices at the pump at record highs. The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is driving up energy prices, and there are fears the higher diesel costs will soon feed through to supermarket prices.
Reuters also pointed to early signs of tariff effects. The cost of toys rebounded 4.2 percent and apparel rose 0.3 percent, which Reuters said suggested some lingering pass-through from tariffs. Prices for used cars and trucks rose 0.7 percent, according to the BLS.
Walkinshaw’s Record on the Iran War
Walkinshaw’s post on Wednesday follows months of public opposition to the war, which began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran. In a statement on his official House website after the initial strikes, the congressman said: “The American people want and need affordable health care and lower grocery prices, not another war in the Middle East that risks the lives of young Americans. I condemn the Iranian regime’s repression, hostility toward its neighbors, support for terrorism around the world, and ambitions to develop nuclear weapons. But the President has presented no evidence of an imminent threat to the United States and no plan to prevent escalation. Once again, President Trump has ignored the Constitution and engaged in an act of war without Congressional authorization. Both the House and Senate should convene immediately to debate and pass a War Powers Resolution to rein in this out of control President and remove the United States from hostilities in Iran. Today, we pray for our brave men and women in uniform and for all in harm’s way.”
He followed through on that call in June. On June 11, Walkinshaw introduced H.Con.Res. 110, a concurrent resolution invoking section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to direct the president to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran. The measure was co-signed by all eight of Virginia’s House Democrats and was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. It came one week after the House passed a similar war powers measure 215–208 on June 3, with four Republicans joining Democrats, the first time such a measure had succeeded in the chamber.
The official announcement of the resolution tied the war directly to household costs, the same theme as his post Wednesday. The release said: “As gas prices soar, American families are forced to pay the price of this illegal and expensive war.” Walkinshaw said in the release: “Each American family has paid $750 out of pocket for a war Trump started without asking Congress. No president gets to drag this country into an endless war on their own. The Constitution is clear: Congress decides whether America goes to war.” He added: “We need just a handful of Republicans to continue to join us, reassert Congress’ constitutional authority, and bring our troops home.”
In a separate statement on his official website, Walkinshaw denounced what he called Trump’s “unhinged” comments on Iran. “Unhinged. Out of control. Criminal. It’s past time for Congress to end Trump’s dangerous war in Iran before it and he spirals even further out of control. Republican leaders will explain this away, as they always do. But they won’t be able to escape the moral and political responsibility they hold for enabling this lunatic,” he said.
What It Means for the Fed and the Midterms
The inflation data lands at a sensitive moment for monetary policy. Reuters reported that the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points in September to a range of 3.75 percent to 4.00 percent, its first hike in three years, and signaled further increases in the months ahead. After the CPI release, financial markets raised the odds of a rate hike at the Fed’s October 27-28 meeting to roughly 37 percent from about 22 percent, according to CME Group’s FedWatch Tool as cited by Reuters. Most economists still expect the Fed to hold steady this month and raise rates in December.
Economists pointed to government policy as a driver. Kyle Moore, chief economist at the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, said the current inflation is largely the result of erratic executive branch policy and that the war in Iran continues to disrupt global supply chains. Separately, the Social Security Administration announced a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment for 2027, which Reuters said will raise average retirement benefits by $75 per month for programs covering nearly 72 million Americans.
The political stakes are high with the midterms less than three weeks away. Prediction market Polymarket currently puts the odds of Democrats winning the House in 2026 at 91 percent. Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, have so far blocked Democratic efforts to end U.S. involvement in the war outside of the one House vote in June.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to publish the next Consumer Price Index report, covering October, on November 10, one week after voters go to the polls on November 3. Walkinshaw’s post makes clear how Democrats intend to frame those numbers in the closing stretch: higher prices, a war launched without congressional approval, and a president he says “doesn’t care.”