Our Standard
This project exists because credibility matters. Every number, every quote, and every claim can be traced to a named institution — a government agency, a named financial institution, a major news organization, or a primary document. We don't use anonymous sourcing, and we don't extrapolate from incomplete data.
When multiple sources report different figures (which happens with fast-moving events), we use the most conservative number available. When a claim cannot be independently verified from at least two credible sources, we say so explicitly or we don't include it.
This is not affiliated with any political party, campaign, or advocacy organization. It's an accountability project. The standard is simple: did they keep their promises, and what is it costing you?
Energy Prices
Pre-war gas national average: $2.96/gal (Feb 26, 2026)
Government AAA Gas Prices
Current gas national average: $3.79/gal (Mar 18, 2026)
Government AAA Gas Prices
California gas average: $5.20/gal (Mar 9, 2026)
Government AAA via CBS News
Diesel average: $5.03/gal
Financial GasBuddy via Gizmodo
48 out of 50 states above $3/gal (up from 9 a month ago)
Government AAA state average data
Brent crude at $103.47/bbl settled; $120 intraday peak (WTI)
Financial EIA, FRED, CME Group
Gas below $3.00 for 13 straight weeks before the war
Government FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data), EIA weekly data
Strait of Hormuz
20% of global oil supply transits the Strait of Hormuz
Government U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
~50% of global urea and sulfur exports transit Hormuz
Industry Fertilizer Institute, IFPRI
21+ ships attacked since war began
Government UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) via Euronews (Mar 18, 2026)
IMO emergency talks on shipping crisis
Government International Maritime Organisation via Euronews (Mar 18, 2026)
France, UK, Germany, Japan, China, Italy, Greece rejected Trump's warship request
News Financial Times via Al Jazeera (Mar 14, 2026)
Administration Quotes
Kevin Hassett: "the last of our concerns right now" — CNBC, March 17, 2026
Pete Hegseth: Strait is "open" — "Iran shooting at shipping" — Pentagon, March 13, 2026
Scott Bessent: "trying to make it into some crisis that it's not" — CNBC, March 16, 2026
News Fortune, CNBC transcript
Trump: gas price surge is "a very small price to pay" — Truth Social
News Fox News, Boston Globe
Campaign Promises (Verified Quotes)
"I will immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One." — Bedminster, NJ, August 15, 2024
News Multiple outlets; press conference transcript
"We will cut energy prices in half within 12 months." — Detroit, October 18, 2024
News Rally transcript; PolitiFact rated "Stalled"
"I'm not gonna start a war. I'm gonna stop wars." — November 2024
News Election Night Victory Speech; broadcast on all major networks
VP Vance WSJ op-ed: "Trump's Best Foreign Policy? Not Starting Any Wars" — 2023
News Wall Street Journal
DNI Gabbard sold "No War with Iran" merchandise in 2020
News Axios
Military & Geopolitical
Operation Epic Fury began Feb 28, 2026
Government Pentagon / Department of Defense
6+ U.S. service members killed
News NPR, ABC, Reuters
1,332+ killed in Iran by Day 7
News NPR, AP, Al Jazeera
First 100 hours cost: $3.7 billion ($891M/day)
Think Tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
No congressional authorization; War Powers votes killed on party lines
News NBC News, Time, Council on Foreign Relations, Al Jazeera
Russia providing Iran satellite imagery/targeting data on U.S. assets
News Independently confirmed by: Washington Post, CNN, NBC, AP, PBS — all published March 6, 2026
800+ Patriot missiles fired in Gulf in 3 days (more than Ukraine got in 4 years)
News Zelenskyy statement; Bloomberg Intelligence estimate: 1,000+ PAC-3 interceptors
Economic Impact & Projections
Household cost projections: $284 (May), $1,027 (July), $3,400+ (September)
Financial Modeled from EIA, Wolfe Research, Goldman Sachs, and Moody's projections
+2% food-at-home inflation estimate
Financial Wolfe Research
+0.55% headline inflation from combined energy/food impact
Financial Wolfe Research
Nitrogen fertilizer spot prices doubled in 72 hours
Financial CME Group, FinancialContent
"Food security risk" for U.S. from fertilizer disruption
Industry American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Market Intel
Expert warnings: Zandi (Moody's), Daco (EY-Parthenon), JPMorgan, IMF, Deutsche Bank, McNally (Rapidan)
Financial CNBC, Bloomberg, Reuters, IMF statements
Stryker Corporation Cyberattack (March 11, 2026)
Iranian-backed group Handala (linked to MOIS) launched wiper attack; 200,000+ systems wiped across 79 countries
News CNN, Bloomberg, WSJ, Krebs on Security, TechCrunch, Al Jazeera
5,000+ workers sent home in Ireland; Maryland EMS Lifenet systems went down
News Bloomberg, local news outlets
SYK stock fell 3%+; SEC filing: "timeline for restoration not yet known"
Financial SEC EDGAR filing, market data
Congressional Oversight
Senate War Powers vote: 47-53 (only Rand Paul R voted yes)
News NBC News, CBS News
House vote: 219-212 (only Massie, Davidson R voted for oversight)
News Time, Council on Foreign Relations
17 IGs fired January 2025; CIGIE defunded by OMB
News NPR, CBS News, AP
PBS/NPR/Marist poll: growing majority says checks and balances failing
News PBS NewsHour / NPR / Marist Poll
Political Responses to Hassett Quote
Rep. Ted Lieu: "send Kevin Hassett to every single swing House district"
News Washington Examiner
Hakeem Jeffries: "said the quiet part out loud"
News Common Dreams
Sen. Ruben Gallego: "paying almost twice as much for gas"
News Common Dreams
Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Trump for abandoning America First
News NPR