DAVENPORT, Iowa — The political organization Americans for Prosperity-Iowa stopped by Davenport on Tuesday afternoon to offer Iowans relief from high gas prices.
The group offered discounted gas over a two-hour span at the BP location off of West 53rd street. The event is part of "The True Cost of Washington" Gas Price Drop event, where the group travels across the country and offer gas priced at the national average from two years ago.
Or, the first day of Joe Biden's presidency.
"Our tour across the country to highlight the true cost of Washington, the bad policies coming out of DC that are driving inflation across the country. And so what we're doing here in Davenport is for the next two hours, starting at 11, we're going to drop the price of gas to $2.38 a gallon and let consumers come in and fill up for what prices were just two years ago," AFP-IA State Director, Drew Klein said.
Americans for Prosperity is an influential libertarian-conservative political advocacy group funded by the billionaire Koch brothers, whose company, Koch Industries, has a major stake in the oil industry.
The group didn't address other factors leading to the rise in gas prices, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions, COVID-19, and corporate price gouging.
Hundreds of Iowans lined down Pine street, waiting their turn to fill up at the discounted price.
"What people realize is that this is one of the opportunities to get back to what normal looked like just two years ago, and so people are taking time out of their day to come sit in a car line to fill up for gas because the impact of being able to save money at the pump has a ripple effect across the rest of their family budget," said Klein.
Iowans in support of the organization's political standpoint and Iowans in disagreement arrived at the event.
Many said high gas prices forced them to change their budgeting.
"It means a lot with prices being like they are now. It's good to come out, cut my gas almost in half. It saved me for the month because I'm on a fixed income and this is really helpful. I wish they did it more often," Davenport resident, Howard Burrage said.
Many of the people waiting in the line said they've already had to cut off simple pleasures like cable television and eating out.
"I've had to kind of like cut a few things on cable and utilities were skyrocketing. Everything I had to just I cook at home a lot more than I used to," Burrage said.
As of 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the BP location reverted to its regular gas prices.