New data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) showed that inflation rose again in September — with the consumer price index (CPI) increasing by 0.6 percent.
Not only is the CPI up 0.6 percent from last month but is up 3.7 percent relative to September 2025 — well above the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target.
Energy fuels rise: The Trump administration’s war in Iran has steadily raised regular gas and diesel prices over the conflict’s eight-month timeline. The BLS reported that there was a 9.1 percent increase in gas prices in September, which accounted for more than half of the monthly inflation increase.
Last month, energy prices increased by 5.2 percent as well after rising by 2.1 percent in August.
A gallon of regular gas costs roughly $4.33 as of Wednesday morning, up from $2.98 two days before the Iran war began, according to data from AAA. Diesel costs about $6.30 per gallon, an increase of roughly $2.41 from a year ago.
🔎Read Max Rego’s full inflation report here.
Madness before midterms: As debate season heats up, Senate candidates are encouraging President Trump to pull out of the Iran war to help lower energy prices.
On Tuesday night, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) criticized the president’s diesel deal with Russia in her Senate debate against Democratic candidate Josh Turek.
Iowans have been hit hard by the rise in diesel prices, which Trump has attempted to address by making a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We need to lower gas prices in this country. We need to lower diesel prices, but I don’t think we need to be making a deal with Russia to do it,” Hinson said Tuesday night.
Turek agreed, but bashed the GOP candidate for voting with Trump to start the war in the first place. “We are in this situation because of this unnecessary war in Iran that Ashley Hinson voted in favor of continuing seven times,” he said.
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Other GOP lawmakers break from Trump: Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), John Cornyn (Texas) and Alan Armstrong (Okla.) were the latest members of the party to oppose Trump’s diesel deal with Russia on Tuesday.
According to The Hill’s Alexander Bolton, the three GOP senators joined a letter to the president, calling the deal a “gift to our adversary and betrayal of our allies.”
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Lisa Murkowsi (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) also signed the letter.
