WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, a senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, accused President Donald Trump on Wednesday of leaving American drivers with a $66 billion bill for the war with Iran. She also reminded him of a campaign promise that gasoline would fall below $2 a gallon. The Hawaii Democrat posted the figure on X at 9:32 a.m. ET on Oct. 14, 2026, as national gas prices remained more than $1.30 above their pre-war level.
The Full Post
Hirono’s complete post read:
“Americans have paid $66 BILLION more on gas since Trump began his illegal war with Iran.
$66,000,000,000 MORE for gas.
So much for his promise to lower gas prices below $2 a gallon.”
The post did not cite a source for the $66 billion figure. It was published as the war, which began Feb. 28, approached its eighth month.
The Promise at the Center of the Post
On the 2024 campaign trail, Trump promised to bring gasoline prices below $2 a gallon. Gasoline had fallen to $2.78 by mid-January 2026, about 8% lower than at the start of his second term. In his February State of the Union address, Trump said gasoline was “now below $2.30 a gallon in most states” and “in some places, $1.99 a gallon.”
War, Strait Closure and a Price Spike
Days after that speech, on Feb. 28, Trump announced “major combat operations” against Iran in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes. The national average for a gallon of gas stood at $2.98 the day before the war began. Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil. Gas prices passed $4 a gallon nationally in early April for the first time since 2022.
Hirono’s Opposition From the First Day
Hirono objected to the war in a statement released after Trump announced the strikes. “The President’s unilateral decision to strike Iran for purposes of regime change is a clear violation of the Constitution, which gives Congress, not the President, the sole power to declare war,” she said. “What’s more, this President has not articulated a clear strategy for what comes next.”
Support for War Powers Resolutions
Days into the war, Hirono voted to advance Sen. Tim Kaine’s War Powers Resolution, which would have blocked further military force against Iran. She said at the time that Senate Republicans were “betraying the American people and empowering Trump’s lawlessness, regardless of the consequences for our country.” The Senate’s first vote on the conflict, in early March, failed 47-53. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted in favor and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against.
“Directly Contributing to the Unaffordable Prices”
Hirono tied the war to household costs at an April 30 Armed Services Committee hearing. She is the panel’s Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support. Questioning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, she said: “Since the start of the war, 13 brave U.S. Service members have been killed, more than 400 have been wounded. We burned through over $25 billion in taxpayer money. […] The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which somehow caught the president by surprise, even though he had to have been warned, is directly contributing to the unaffordable prices that Americans are facing.” She added: “This illegal war is driving up costs, undermining readiness, and alienating our allies with neither a clear rationale for starting this war, nor an exit strategy.”
Costs Climb in Hawaii
Hawaii has been among the hardest-hit states. Hawaiian Electric warned customers on April 1 that residential electricity bills could rise 20% to 30% over the following months because of the oil price surge. Reuters reported that Hawaii, California, Washington, Alaska and Oregon had the nation’s highest gas prices, with averages between $5.07 and $5.83 a gallon. Gov. Josh Green told Reuters he was considering a pause on state and county gas taxes, saying, “Right now, gas prices are skyrocketing.”
Trump’s Response on Prices
Trump has repeatedly said prices will fall once the war ends. Reuters reported on Aug. 15 that he told Americans to prepare for continued high fuel prices. At that point gasoline averaged about $4.08, up 29% from a year earlier. Reuters also reported that only two vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz the previous Friday, with no crude shipments visible, compared with more than 130 ships daily before the war.
The Revised Gas Pledge
On Sept. 7, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Oil prices will drop precipitously, like everything else is dropping (but more!), when we WIN the war with Iran. Three Dollars a gallon, but ultimately, below Two Dollars a gallon.” The post tied the sub-$2 target to the war’s outcome. It came the same day gas prices hit a record for Labor Day, at $4.15 a gallon nationally. Days later, Trump said stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon justified higher fuel costs.
Congress Moves to Limit the War
The Senate adopted a resolution on June 23 directing the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran. It passed 50-48 with four Republicans joining Democrats, after the Senate had voted on Iran war powers measures ten times that year. A White House official said the resolution “has no significance.” On Sept. 15, the House passed its own War Powers Resolution after seven Republicans joined Democrats. The Trump administration maintains such resolutions are unconstitutional and has dismissed both measures. That same week, Rep. Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth over the war’s handling. In April, Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona filed six articles against him.
The Tracker’s Larger Figure
Brown University’s Watson School runs an Iran War Energy Cost Tracker, which counts the extra amount Americans have paid for gasoline and diesel since Feb. 28, using daily price data. It put the total consumer burden at $134.7 billion as of Wednesday, about $1,028 per U.S. household. That breaks down to $74.27 billion for gasoline, with prices rising from $2.982 to $4.333 a gallon (up 45.3%), and $60.41 billion for diesel, rising from $3.670 to $6.300 (up 71.7%). The tracker’s gasoline-only figure is higher than the $66 billion in Hirono’s post.
Political Stakes Before the Midterms
The prices arrive weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. On the prediction market Polymarket, traders put the odds of Democrats winning the House at 91%. Democrats have made affordability and the war’s costs a central theme, while Trump has said the price spike is the cost of preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon.
What Comes Next
Analysts have cautioned that prices would not fall immediately even if the war ended. Reuters reported that fuel prices would stay under pressure for some time because Middle East production and exports would take many months to recover. Hirono’s post puts a running price on the conflict at a point when Congress, the White House and Tehran remain deadlocked over how it ends. With the strait still disrupted and gasoline above $4, her post puts the question of the sub-$2 promise squarely before voters.