Big Oil is Profiting from Your Pain

Nearly six months ago, President Donald Trump started a war in Iran—a war that no one wanted, had no clear goal, and sent the world into turmoil.

Illinoisans are paying the price at the pump while Big Oil executives are getting rich.

Since the beginning of the war, the price of regular gasoline in Illinois has risen by more than $1.30 per gallon, costing Illinois residents $2 billion in total.

While families struggle, the oil companies selling the fuel couldn’t be more divorced from that reality. Instead, they’re using a war in the Middle East as an excuse for their own greed.

Under the guise of “supply disruptions,” Big Oil companies are sending prices skyrocketing—and collecting windfall profits. In some cases, their profits are more than double what they earned last year, before this war even started.

It’s the very definition of war profiteering. It’s despicable. And leaders shouldn’t be afraid to say so.

That’s why, yesterday, I sent a letter to executives at the nation’s largest oil companies, demanding that they:

• Return their wartime windfall to the people of Illinois;

• Provide transparency around their pricing strategy; and

• Disclose executive compensation.

Right now, Big Oil executives face a decision: help ease the burden for Illinois families or exploit the conflict for their own gain. I’ll keep fighting until they make the right one.

Read my letter here.