One week before he won his seat in 2024, Rob Bresnahan went on Wilkes-Barre radio and explained how rising fuel prices drive up the cost of everything. Then he got to Congress and voted six times against ending Trump's war on Iran.
What he said in 2024
The Keystone dug up the audio of Bresnahan's appearance on WILK's The Sue Henry Show. Complaining about money sent overseas, he said:
"I have no problem paying taxes. My problem, though, is when you pay your taxes and then you look and see another $10 or $100 billion being sent to a different country, and the people right here already can't afford groceries."
And he laid out how fuel prices work their way into everything else:
"Everything is just far too expensive … and when fuel prices escalate, that is naturally going to drive the cost of material, whether that is lumber, whether that is copper wiring, whether that is petroleum prices themselves. Everything is a derivative on the cost of energy."
He was right. That is exactly what happened.
What he did in 2026
Trump's war on Iran started at the end of February. Since then the House has voted six times on resolutions to end it and bring U.S. forces home. Bresnahan voted no on every one:
| Date | Resolution | Result | Bresnahan |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 5, 2026 | H. Con. Res. 38 | Failed 212–219 | No |
| April 16, 2026 | H. Con. Res. 40 | Failed 213–214 | No |
| May 14, 2026 | H. Con. Res. 75 | Failed on a 212–212 tie | No |
| June 3, 2026 | H. Con. Res. 86 | Passed 215–208 | No |
| July 23, 2026 | H. Con. Res. 89 | Passed 214–208 | No |
| September 15, 2026 | H. Con. Res. 93 | Passed 220–204 | No |
Look at the first three. Two failed by seven votes or fewer, and one failed on a tie. A single "yes" from Bresnahan on May 14 would have passed it.
On the last one, in September, seven Republicans voted to end the war. Bresnahan wasn't one of them.
The Keystone reports that at the start of the war he also posted on X in support of it.
What it's cost Pennsylvania
The thing he warned about came true. According to AAA figures cited by The Keystone, the average price of regular gas in Pennsylvania has gone up $1.35 a gallon since the end of February, and diesel is up $2.37. The Keystone also reports that the war has cost taxpayers more than $43.6 billion.
Bresnahan's campaign declined to comment to The Keystone.
Not the first time
This isn't the first time Bresnahan's words and actions have pulled apart. He sold his Medicaid company stocks, then voted to cut Medicaid a week later. Other Republicans on this site have the same Iran record: John James voted six times to keep U.S. forces in the war, and Ashley Hinson voted to keep it going six days before saying it had to end.
What the record shows
In 2024, Rob Bresnahan told voters that money sent overseas and rising fuel prices make everything more expensive for families who can't afford groceries. In 2026, he voted against all six House resolutions to end Trump's Iran war — including one that failed on a tie — while Pennsylvania gas rose $1.35 a gallon and diesel $2.37.
Source
Bresnahan warned of rising costs. Now he backs the Iran war — The Keystone
