Turek says he’s ‘happy’ Iowa Republicans joined his push for diesel export pause

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek said Monday he was happy to see Iowa Republicans, including his opponent, Republican Ashley Hinson, join his call to take steps to lower diesel costs.

Fuel costs have gone up nationwide because of the U.S. war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major trade route for petroleum. In Iowa, diesel costs are at a record high, sitting at $6.31 per gallon, according to AAA-Iowa, and regular gas prices are up to $4.36 per gallon compared to $2.95 last year.

Turek, a state representative from Council Bluffs, released a plan Sept. 16 calling for the U.S. to pause diesel exports, temporarily suspend the federal gas tax and open the strategic oil reserves to lower fuel costs. On Monday, he told reporters he believed these steps were needed to “some temporary relief” on fuel costs — an especially important topic in Iowa, Turek said, because Iowa farmers are preparing for harvest season.

“With those proposals alone, at least on gas, we’re looking at a reduction of you know maybe 75 cents per gallon, and I think you can see a real reduction in diesel,” he said. “Because everywhere I’m going — particularly in rural communities as we’re in harvest season — they’re talking about … it’s just an all-time bad moment for them. High interest rates, commodity prices being low, diesel prices being at all-time high. I think the tariffs and the war have hurt Iowans and Iowa rural communities and farmers more than any other state.”

Turek said “even Senator Grassley agreed with me” on calling for the U.S. to stop exporting domestically produced diesel, a stance Grassley posted about on social media Saturday, when he wrote “why doesn’t Pres Trump put an embargo on diesel exports like presidents in the 70s put embargoes on ag products bc food prices were inflated.”

Diesel prices shoot upward as Sen. Chuck Grassley begs Trump for export embargo

On Monday, Hinson released her proposal to lower fuel costs in a social media post. Hinson wrote that she would support suspending the federal gas tax and pause diesel exports, in addition to reinstating the $1 per gallon biodiesel tax credit, creating a diesel relief program for farmers and truckers, and “unleashing E-15 everywhere we can” to address high costs.

“Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran,” Hinson, a U.S. representative from Iowa’s 2nd District, wrote. “We need to use every option at our disposal to provide some relief from high prices.”

When asked about Hinson’s proposal, Turek said, “I’m happy that she saw my proposal and decided that it was a good idea.”

“I’m strongly in favor of E15, year-round E15 — would love to be able to to fight for that in the U.S. Senate,” Turek said. “I mean, look — diesel’s at an all-time high, and especially as we’re going … into harvest season, farmers are hurting, and they’re hurting uniquely. Everywhere I’m going, I’m hearing farmers saying, ‘this is just one gut punch after another. I’m looking at what my input prices are going to be, this isn’t going to work.’ I mean, I’m hearing that from century farmers saying, ‘I’m really, really concerned I’m going to go into foreclosure.’ And so, whatever we can do to provide relief to individuals, I think we need to do it.”

Turek also criticized Hinson for voting against a war powers resolution to curb President Donald Trump’s military powers in Iran. Two Iowa Republicans, U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, voted in favor of the measure last week, though Iowa Democrats have criticized the federal delegation for opposing previous measures to require congressional approval for Trump to continue war in Iran.

In a social media post responding to Hinson, Turek said, “it’s easy to send a tweet but when you had the chance to vote to end this war, you chose not to.”

“You voted seven times to continue it, including just last week,” he wrote. “It’s time to actually end the forever wars and put Iowa and Iowans first.”

Turek made a campaign stop at Fontenelle Supply Co. in Des Moines Monday, where he discussed the impacts of inflation, tariffs and high fuel costs with store co-owner Erich Bockman. Bockman said his business was working to avoid offloading higher costs onto consumers “as much as possible.”

“But it is a very delicate sort of dance,” Bockman said. “And then, the rising cost of everything else — I don’t know what our winter shipments are going to look like with the gas crisis going on — like, diesel trucks carry our stuff across the country too. So it’s all kind of we just play by ear for the most part.”