PRESS RELEASE
Ford to Trump: Refund Nevadans for Gas Prices Driven Up by Your Iran War
President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
October 19, 2026
Re: A Refund for Nevadans Paying for Your Iran War at the Gas Pump
Dear President Trump,
We write on behalf of every Nevada family, small business, and driver who has had to make tough decisions this year about their own budgets because they’re being squeezed by sky-high gas prices as a result of your war with Iran – and to request that you give them their money back.
Since you launched your war of choice in February, Nevadans have dealt with prices at the pump soaring well past $5 a gallon for gasoline and nearly $7 for diesel. The average cost of a gallon of gas in Nevada skyrocketed from $3.72 a gallon in late February to $5.25 a gallon in March, and has hovered around or above $5 a gallon ever since. Right now, a gallon of gas in Nevada costs an average of $5.40 a gallon – with an average of $5.62 in Reno. In fact, according to Moody's Analytics, your war with Iran has already cost American households $2,000 each on average.
For a family in Henderson or Sparks commuting to work, a rancher in Elko or Ely hauling feed, or a rideshare driver on the Las Vegas Strip, that is money coming out of their grocery budgets, utility bills, and car payments to pay for the effects of your war in Iran. Nevada is a state that relies heavily on tourism to drive our economy, and the high fuel costs as a result of your war are tightening the budgets of potential visitors to our state and they’re making plane tickets even more expensive. Las Vegas was already experiencing a decline in tourism, known as the “Trump Slump,” because of your other cost-raising policies like tariffs, and now your high gas prices are only hurting our economy even more.
Let us be clear: this did not need to happen. You chose to start a war we should not have started, and now Nevadans are paying the price.
This is why we are demanding that you put an end to your Iran War immediately and issue a refund to Nevadans for your high gas prices. We, therefore, request that you direct the Treasury to issue a “Pain at the Pump” Rebate of $2,000 to every Nevada household, based on Moody’s analysis, to compensate them for the stratospheric gas costs this war has imposed on them for months. There can be no doubt that ample funds exist for this purpose. You’ve already funneled $43 billion in taxpayer dollars towards your war of choice as of September, and your most recent reconciliation bill would send another $70 billion after it. Moreover, you’re spending nearly $1 billion on your golden ballroom and other White House renovations while working Nevadans struggle.
Mr. President, you ran in 2024 promising to lower costs – not get the United States involved in new forever wars. A plurality of Nevadans believed you then, and they voted for you. But you lied to them. You got to the White House and did the complete opposite of what you promised, and now hardworking Nevadans are paying the price. This issue is so important that we are putting partisanship aside in the middle of a consequential race for Nevada Governor to make the bipartisan request that you end your war in Iran without delay and issue a gas rebate immediately. Nevadans do not need to “feel a little pain” and they should not pay for your reckless policies.
Sincerely,
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Aaron D. Ford
Democratic Candidate for Governor
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Joe Lombardo
Republican Candidate for Governor