Critics Slam Marshall’s Callous Dismissal of Kansas Families Struggling with $4+ Per Gallon Gas Prices

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TOPEKA –  In an April 2026 interview with Newsmax, Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) told Americans that rising gas prices are “worth it” for war, drawing sharp criticism from advocacy groups and constituents across Kansas. With gas prices averaging $4 per gallon nationwide, Marshall’s comments have ignited a firestorm among working Kansas families already struggling with inflation and economic uncertainty.

“Costs are rising every day, and many of us are having to work more than one job just to keep food on the table,” Lauren Fitzgerald, spokesperson for Kansas Coalition for Common Sense, said. “Senator Marshall promised time and again to lower costs for Kansas families, but instead, he’s telling us to accept higher prices. Now is not the time to abandon the economic promises he made to Kansas families.”

Kansas senator says to stop complaining about gas prices. Criticism mounts
KC Star
Jack Harvel, 4.15.26

• Sen. Roger Marshall said that he’s sorry for the increased gas prices amid the ongoing war with Iran, but that the national security implications are worth the higher costs.

“I’m sorry the gas prices are going up, but help is on the way, and your national security, yes, is even more important than your pocketbook,” Marshall said in an interview on Newsmax.

• Critics and opponents have pounced on Marshall’s comments, saying Republicans came into power on promises of lowering inflation and improving the economy. Democrats have been critical of the war, and 59% of Americans believe the U.S. made the wrong decision to use military force in Iran, according to Pew Research.

Republican Senator Says War Is More Important Than Your Pocketbook
The New Republic
Hafiz Rashid, 4.14.26

• Republican Senator Roger Marshall wants Americans to stop complaining about gas prices because they’re necessary for “national security.”

• Speaking on Newsmax’s Wake Up America Tuesday morning, Marshall was asked about the Iran war, and the Kansas politician was dismissive of its negative economic effects on the American people.

• “I’m sorry the gas prices are going up, but help is on its way, and your national security, yes, is even more important than your pocketbook,” Marshall said.

• This is all rather callous to say with gas prices averaging $4 per gallon across the country and more than $5 per gallon in places like California and Oregon, all because of a war of choice that had nothing to do with any imminent threats to the U.S. The latest threats to national security were actually caused by President Trump’s decision to bomb Iran, and Marshall is stubbornly defending the war out of loyalty to him.

This isn’t the first time Marshall has dismissed Kansans’ concerns about rising prices and their consequences for hardworking families: 

In March, Marshall was pressed on Kaitlan Collins’s show about soaring gas prices due to the war in Iran. Marshall’s response? First, he admitted that “We don’t know when the war is gonna be over. We don’t know when these sanctions should go back on.” After Collins repeated her question, saying, “I’m asking you about gas prices that Americans are paying that are extremely high, and having wild swings, in part because of the war with Iran that the president started,” Marshall turned back to condescension, saying, “Again, freedom is not free. Americans are gonna have to make some sacrifices.”

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