{"id":2582321,"date":"2026-03-21T07:46:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T11:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thune-pleads-for-patience-with-iran-war-as-gas-prices-roil-gop\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T07:49:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T11:49:13","slug":"thune-pleads-for-patience-with-iran-war-as-gas-prices-roil-gop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thune-pleads-for-patience-with-iran-war-as-gas-prices-roil-gop\/","title":{"rendered":"Thune pleads for patience with Iran war as gas prices roil GOP"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthune-pleads-for-patience-with-iran-war-as-gas-prices-roil-gop%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2582321&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged Americans to endure higher gas prices amid the Iran war, framing the spike as a short-term, pocketbook issue with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-tosses-cdcs-national-eviction-moratorium\/\" title=\"Federal Judge Tosses CDC\u2019s National Eviction Moratorium\">real-world consequences<\/a>. Gas costs have risen by about a dollar per gallon in a month and are approaching four dollars per gallon, complicating republicans\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shapiros-white-house-trip-on-electricity-prices-could-help-him-in-2026-and-2028-11\/\" title=\"Shapiro&#039;s White House trip on electricity prices could help him in 2026 and 2028\">affordability messaging ahead<\/a> of the November midterms. Thune stressed that the president is aware of the price impact and argued the Iran situation should be resolved quickly and decisively, noting the War Powers Act gives 60 days for Congress to authorize continued action. The piece also highlights GOP tensions over how to respond, including some controversial public remarks, as the management seeks tens of billions in war funding-Pentagon estimates around $200 billion versus expectations for a smaller White House request-and Democrats remain split on spending. additionally,Thune contends that trump would need Congress for a NATO withdrawal,and Republicans would need several Democrats to break a filibuster,with reconciliation as a potential but divisive legislative path.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Thune pleads with voters for patience on rising gas prices amid Iran war<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2533913\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE &mdash; <\/strong>Senate Majority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-thune\/\">John Thune<\/a> (R-SD) is urging Americans to endure <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4497030\/gas-prices-increases-to-3-884-per-gallon-nearly-30-cents-higher-than-a-week-ago\/\">bloated gas prices<\/a> from the Iran war a little longer after costs at the pump have skyrocketed nearly $1 per gallon over the past month alone.<\/p>\n<p>But just how long drivers may face the inflated prices remains to be seen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4483891\/iran-war-risks-ballot-box-backlash-gop-undermining-affordability\/\">Republicans are growing increasingly anxious<\/a> by the day as gas prices approach $4 per gallon, undermining their affordability messaging ahead of the November midterm elections.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4477047\/cynthia-lummis-candid-explanation-retirement-plans\/\">This senator offered a refreshingly candid explanation for her retirement plans<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4497003\/senate-filibuster-and-its-discontents\/\">The filibuster and its discontents in both parties<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4497815\/thune-warns-republican-counterproductive-filibuster-vote\/\">Thune warns Republicans against &#8216;counterproductive&#8217; filibuster vote<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s challenging, obviously, because that&rsquo;s where people feel a very immediate impact,&rdquo; Thune told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in a sit-down interview Thursday. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a pocketbook impact, and it has real-world consequences out there.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The dilemma for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"240\">Republicans<\/a> is that, short of bucking Trump to halt his military operations with a war powers resolution that the party has already rejected, they are at the whims of the president&rsquo;s timetable. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Trump<\/a> has 60 days from the start of the operation, which began Feb. 28, under the War Powers Act to conduct operations before he must obtain Congress&rsquo;s approval to continue.<\/p>\n<p>Thune, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >echoing broader party rhetoric<\/a>, framed his economic pitch as: &ldquo;This is short-term.&rdquo; But he acknowledged his message was likely not what Americans want to hear.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Obviously, the best answer is when the job is done. But I understand that doesn&rsquo;t probably satisfy a lot of people who are frustrated with high gas prices,&rdquo; Thune said. &ldquo;But I think that the president is very aware of gas prices. It&rsquo;s something he pays a lot of attention to, and I think he recognizes that the objective in Iran has to be quickly and decisively.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Other Republicans, from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/capitol-hill\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2382\">Capitol Hill<\/a> to the campaign trail, have at times offered bungled responses.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3919290\/nfl-reporter-michele-tafoya-minnesota-senate\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"3919290\">Michele Tafoya<\/a>, the Senate GOP&rsquo;s preferred candidate in Minnesota, told radio station <em>KWAM<\/em> that Americans should &ldquo;try to be patriots&rdquo; and &ldquo;maybe take one less trip to Starbucks.&rdquo; Trump&rsquo;s head of the National Economic Council, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kevin-hassett\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"6117\">Kevin Hassett<\/a>, told CNBC&rsquo;s <em>Squawk Box<\/em> that economic fallout was &ldquo;the last of our concerns right now.&rdquo; Trump himself has called increased oil and gasoline prices a &ldquo;very small price to pay&rdquo; for &ldquo;safety and peace.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"339\">Trump administration<\/a> is still scrambling for ways to reopen the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"21488\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, a key waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. The strait, which Iran has effectively shut down, is used to transport 20% of the globe&rsquo;s daily oil usage. Until the passage is reopened, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/european-climate-bureaucrats-are-dooming-the-continent-to-a-very-dark-winter\/\" title=\"European Climate Bureaucrats Are Dooming The Continent To A Very Dark Winter\">worldwide oil prices<\/a> will remain higher and could climb even further in the U.S. during busier spring and summer travel months, as gas stations transition to a more expensive summer blend.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks to reporters in the Ohio Clock Corridor on Capitol Hill on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Tom Brenner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The economic fallout, which includes inflated diesel prices that could raise transportation costs for food and household goods, comes as the administration will seek tens of billions of dollars in additional funding from Congress to fund the war. The funding request, known as a supplemental, will only further complicate the GOP&rsquo;s messaging strategy. The Pentagon is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4497849\/pete-hegseth-confirms-200-billion-dollar-pentagon-request-iran-war\/\">seeking $200 billion<\/a>, but Republican lawmakers expect a White House request to be closer to $50 billion.<\/p>\n<p>Some Democrats are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4482788\/democratic-divisions-funding-trump-iran-war\/\">open to doling out more money<\/a> in the interest of national security, but most are not. Republicans will need at least seven Democrats in the Senate to break a filibuster on any spending legislation.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4497729\/john-thune-trump-nato-withdrawal-congressional-approval\/\">THUNE SAYS TRUMP &lsquo;ABSOLUTELY&rsquo; NEEDS CONGRESS FOR NATO WITHDRAWAL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The GOP-controlled <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress<\/a> could seek to approve the money through a Republican-only process known as budget <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/reconciliation\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"17698\">reconciliation<\/a>, which would require only a simple majority. Yet, the GOP remains split on whether to pursue that avenue for an array of conservative policies that could be divisive ahead of the midterm elections. In the same vein, Thune offered some of his sharpish rebuke to-date of Democrats over the war, accusing critics of &ldquo;cheering against the country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s an option,&rdquo; Thune said of reconciliation. &ldquo;It&rsquo;d be nice &mdash; in the old days &mdash; to get Democrats working together, especially when our national security interests are at stake. But this is a different era, and it doesn&rsquo;t seem like the Democrats are &mdash; in fact, in a lot of ways, it seems like Democrats are cheering against the country there, which is unfortunate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thune urges patience as gas prices spike on Iran war<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3204,"featured_media":2582322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26079606845772.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4551,69910,6203,75072,23610],"class_list":["post-2582321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-foreign-policy","tag-gas-prices-2","tag-gop","tag-iran-war","tag-thune"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26079606845772.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3204"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2582321"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2582325,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582321\/revisions\/2582325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2582322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2582321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2582321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2582321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}