Virginia families have paid hundreds more for gas, housing and electricity since January 2025, according to a partisan analysis that Rep. Don Beyer highlighted during a Thursday, Sept. 3, webinar.

Beyer, a Democrat who represents Virginia's 8th Congressional District including Reston, pointed to figures from the Democratic minority staff of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC). As Patch first reported, the analysis estimates that the average U.S. household has spent more than $3,800 extra on goods and services as of July 2026 under President Trump.

The Virginia-specific breakdown puts the added costs at $686 for housing, including rent and mortgage payments, and $702 for gasoline since Trump took office. Virginia families also spent an estimated $170 more on electricity in 2025 than in 2024, with the first half of 2026 projected to run $211 higher than the same period in 2024.

The numbers add up fast.

The JEC analysis attributes the gasoline increase to the Iran war, estimating Virginians collectively spent $2 billion more on gas since the conflict began. It blames higher health insurance costs on Republicans' decision not to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, saying average monthly ACA premiums rose more than 50 percent in 2026 and average deductibles climbed by more than $1,000.

The health care numbers carry real weight in Virginia. About 94,000 Virginians have dropped their ACA insurance so far in 2026, falling from 389,000 enrollees in 2025 to 295,000 as of early September, the Virginia Mercury reported. State lawmakers set aside $150 million in the current budget for temporary subsidies.

"What's driving the figure? The biggest buckets are health care, grocery, energy costs, and housing," Beyer said during the webinar, which was organized by the advocacy group Unrig Our Economy as part of its "Republican Price Tag" campaign.

Beyer, who spent 46 years running his family's automobile dealerships before entering Congress, said Democrats have tried to force votes on tariffs, the Iran war and health care cuts but that Republicans have blocked each effort. His office told Patch that Democrats have "not many" realistic chances to act before the November election, "at least not in terms of passing legislation."

The $3,800 figure is not a standard inflation measure. It is the Democratic committee minority's calculation of additional household spending tied to higher prices over the period examined. The analysis draws on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Energy Information Administration and AAA. No Republican response to the analysis was available in the sources reviewed.

If Democrats win a House majority in November, Beyer's office said the party would prioritize reversing health care cuts, restoring congressional authority over trade and ending the Iran war. Eligible Virginians can access the state's temporary ACA subsidies when marketplace enrollment opens in November.