U.S. Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) responded to President Trump’s comments about the high price of oil as a result of the Iran war, which Trump initiated without congressional approval.
In the Oval Office, Trump said: “The stock market is higher now than when we started this war, and I thought oil prices would go to $200, $250, it’s at $100 now. And I think you’re surprised, and I’m surprised, but even if it went to $200, it would have been worth it.”
That’s not his decision to make. Under our Constitution, it’s up to Congress to decide whether the economic and human cost of going to war is “worth it.”
Having that debate is essential BEFORE committing American lives and taxpayer dollars, especially when, as here, the… https://t.co/ylLTYIO6gM
— Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (@RepMGS) May 8, 2026
Scanlon wrote: “That’s not his decision to make. Under our Constitution, it’s up to Congress to decide whether the economic and human cost of going to war is ‘worth it.’ Having that debate is essential BEFORE committing American lives and taxpayer dollars, especially when, as here, the administration has failed to establish clear goals or a winning strategy.”
[NOTE: On Tuesday, President Trump met with top executives from ExxonMobil and Chevron to discuss potential investment opportunities in Venezuela, following up on his January push to get the oil companies to invest $100 billion in Venezuela’s energy sector. On Friday, Semafor reported that Trump plans to invite the CEO of ExxonMobil, Darren Woods, and CEOs from Nvidia and Apple to join him next week when he travels to China to meet with Xi Jinping.]