Six Democratic governors urged congressional leaders to pass legislation suspending the federal gas tax amid a global surge in fuel costs.
The governors — Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, and Jared Polis of Colorado — voiced their support for federal legislation introduced last month to lift the levy of 18.4 cents per gallon in a Tuesday letter to leading lawmakers.
The Gas Prices Relief Act, which has co-sponsors in both chambers of Congress, “would alleviate the consumer cost of rising gas prices while protecting the federal government’s capacity to make infrastructure investments,” the governors wrote in the missive, which was addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
HUGE MAJORITY SAYS INFLATION IS HURTING: SURVEY
The governors went on to note that the bill “saves Americans at the pump by suspending the federal gas tax for the rest of the year. Money saved at the pump translates into dollars back in consumers’ pockets for groceries, childcare, rent, and more.”
“At a time when people are directly impacted by rising prices on everyday goods, a federal gas tax holiday is a tool in the toolbox to reduce costs for Americans, and we urge you to give every consideration to this proposed legislation,” the Democrats, five of whom are up for reelection this year, continued.
Funds collected by the gas tax go toward the Highway Trust Fund, which covers the majority of federal surface transportation spending. The legislation making its way through the House and Senate would allow the Treasury Department to recoup those losses with transfers from the general fund. The duty would remain lifted until Jan. 1, 2023.
The governors also noted that President Joe Biden’s hard infrastructure legislation allocated $118 billion to the highway trust, essentially eliminating the possibility of the fund being emptied without the gas tax in place.
Oil prices have been on the rise since last year amid soaring inflation and saw a sharp uptick in the wake of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. The national average of a gallon of gas rose nearly 80 cents from last month, up to $4.173 on Tuesday. Last year, the national average was $2.796. Tuesday’s high had not been passed since the summer of 2008. It surpassed that new record on Wednesday, when it reached $4.252.
Biden ordered a ban on Russian oil imports Tuesday amid bipartisan calls to do so, including from Pelosi. The administration had hesitated on making such a move, arguing it would send already high fuel costs skyrocketing.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Defending freedom is going to cost,” Biden said while announcing the ban.
As part of his announcement, the commander in chief also rejected recent criticism that his environmentally focused positions were contributing to the high cost of oil.
“Even amid the pandemic, companies in the United States pumped more oil during my first year in office than they did during my predecessor’s first year,” he said. “We’re approaching record levels of oil and gas production in the United States, and we’re on track to set a record oil production next year in the United States.”
