ICYMI: A Texas Social Worker Must Now Work Multiple Jobs as Gas Prices Cross $4 per Gallon 

Americans are pinching pennies as Trump’s war in Iran sends gas prices skyrocketing to multi-year highs 

Soaring gas prices come on top of utility bills that have spiked by as much 13% due to Trump’s reckless energy policies 

Washington, DC – Americans have spent $8 billion more on gasoline since Trump started his war of choice in Iran, making a Republican-driven affordability crisis even worse. Yesterday, PBS Newshour highlighted the story of Samantha Lott, a Texas community mental health worker, who is struggling under Trump’s war and reckless policies. Lott drives to more than 20 locations each week in her job as a social worker, and then gets back in her car nights and weekends to work as a grocery delivery driver for Wal-Mart to make ends meet. Since the start of the war in Iran, her gas costs have skyrocketed. 

Lott joined PBS Newshour to talk about the impact of paying more at the pump after already having to defer needed health care due to the cost of rising utility bills.

Samantha Lott: “I am a community mental health social worker. As I’m sure you know, I do not make a lot of money. So having to use my own car and drive a lot around two different counties, I’m buying a lot of gas. Then in order to make ends meet, as well, I have to deliver groceries on the side on the evenings and the weekends. I’m filling up my tank every other day and I’m having to pay $40-50 to do so. Any money that I get from my daytime job is usually a month late for reimbursement so I’m having to figure out how to make that money stretch, what kind of food am I going to eat this month, that type of thing.”