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Congress Returns With Focus on Affordability and Fuel Prices
FHWA Chief McMaster to Defend White House Fiscal 2027 Budget Before EPW Panel
Key Takeaways:
- Congress returns June 1 with lawmakers emphasizing affordability issues, including fuel, groceries and healthcare costs, ahead of midterm elections.
- Gasoline prices rose to a national average of $4.26 per gallon, with leaders linking increases to the Iran conflict and broader economic policy debates.
- A House-approved $580 billion infrastructure bill includes funding for truck parking, while the Senate prepares hearings on highway budgets and reauthorization.
WASHINGTON — Congress returns to Capitol Hill on June 1 after the Memorial Day recess to re-engage in midterm election politics driven by partisan affordability messages. A central issue is rising fuel prices tied to the conflict with Iran.
For Democratic leadership, the recess was spent sharpening its focus on costs for middle-class households, such as gasoline, healthcare and groceries. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D‑N.Y.) noted rising gas prices, arguing Republicans have failed to ease economic pressures on many consumers.
Shortly before the recess, which typically marks the start of the summer travel season, Schumer said: “Trump is driving gas prices to $5 a gallon, causing the cost of groceries for your weekend cookout to skyrocket and making the price of the flight to visit your family more expensive.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D‑N.Y.) shared a similar sentiment, claiming the administration’s aims in Iran have fallen short and the Republican-led Congress has failed to hold the White House accountable. Jeffries recently joined his leadership team to say: “The Republican-controlled House continues to behave like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration.”
Republican leaders continue to contend that the economic agenda enacted by President Donald Trump during his second administration has delivered tax relief to most working-class voters. They say it has positioned the GOP agenda as the better approach for responding to affordability pressures.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R‑La.) said Republicans backed budget and tax legislation linked to improvements for voters. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R‑S.D.) reaffirmed that party unity will be critical to advance the GOP agenda and “ensure that our incumbents are in the best possible position to win their elections.”
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Republicans contend that the economic agenda enacted by President Donald Trump has delivered tax relief to most working-class voters. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg)
The White House has indicated the Iran conflict could conclude in the near future and has repeatedly characterized rising fuel prices as temporary. According to AAA, the national average price for gasoline recently rose to $4.26 a gallon from $4.17 a month earlier.
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McMaster
Beyond the political debate, transportation policy will come back into focus. The Senate committee on highway policy is scheduled to hold a hearing June 3 on the Federal Highway Administration’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget with Administrator Sean McMaster. Senators are working toward a multiyear surface transportation reauthorization.
Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito (R‑W.Va.) has not yet scheduled consideration of her version of the surface transportation package. Speaking May 19 during Infrastructure Week, she cited a crowded Senate calendar heading into the November midterms.
BUILD America 250 Act
In the House, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the BUILD America 250 Act on May 22. The bill would authorize $580 billion over five years for surface transportation programs, shore up the Highway Trust Fund and address safety and freight mobility challenges.
A key provision for the trucking industry would establish grant programs to expand truck parking capacity along major freight corridors. Industry groups have repeatedly called for increases in funding for parking expansion projects.
Last week, T&I passed the BUILD America 250 Act, a bipartisan, long-term bill that prioritizes and invests in America’s roads, bridges, rail transportation, and highway and motor carrier safety programs. This legislation will help shape U.S. transportation for decades to come. pic.twitter.com/OijdQDdNfv — T&I Committee Republicans (@TransportGOP) May 26, 2026
Outgoing Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves (R‑Mo.) said the bill prioritizes core programs while promoting innovation and streamlining project delivery.
The chairman observed: “This bill makes historic investments in our bridges and other critical infrastructure, reduces costs and delays in building, ensures states have the resources and flexibility they need, bolsters the Highway Trust Fund, fosters innovation, and provides a framework for safely integrating autonomous commercial motor vehicles onto our highways.”
