What happened
President Donald Trump is considering suspending the federal gas tax, a move that would require Congressional approval. This comes three weeks after House Republican leaders blocked a vote on a bill to suspend the tax. Trump stated that he is thinking about suspending the tax, but did not provide further details.
The federal gas tax is currently 18.4 cents per gallon, and the diesel tax is 24.4 cents per gallon. Suspending these taxes would require an act of Congress. Previously, Republican Maryland Rep. Andy Harris introduced a bill to temporarily suspend federal fuel taxes, but House Speaker Mike Johnson decided against a vote due to lack of agreement within the Republican conference.
Trump's consideration of suspending the gas tax comes as gas prices continue to rise, with regular gasoline averaging $4.37 a gallon nationally. The President's approval rating has also been affected by the high cost of living, with a record low of 32 percent in a recent poll.
Other lawmakers, including Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Democratic New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas, have also introduced bills to suspend the gasoline tax. However, Congress has never suspended the federal gas tax before, and a five-month suspension would cut gas tax revenue by about $17 billion.
