Senate Democrats Want Trump To Prod OPEC To Lower Oil Prices

U.S. Senate Democrats on May 23 urged President Donald Trump to try to prod OPEC to take steps to lower oil prices and suggested that millions of Americans will see tax cut proceeds canceled out by higher fuel costs.

Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer held a news conference at a Capitol Hill Exxon station to criticize Trump for not doing more to lower fuel costs and said that gasoline prices had jumped 25% since Trump took office in January 2017.

Schumer said Trump’s decision to withdraw from the multinational Iran nuclear deal was a factor in increasing gas prices. He also criticized the administration for planning to rollback fuel economy standards, not doing more to encourage the use of ethanol and for not pushing major oil producing states.