Trump Says His Administration Is Considering Suspending the Federal Gas Tax
President Donald Trump said Tuesday his administration is considering suspending the federal gasoline tax. Waiving the 18.4-cent-per-gallon levy would require Congress to pass legislation.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration was thinking about suspending the federal tax on gasoline, a step that would require Congress to approve any waiver.
According to Reuters, Trump replied, when asked whether the federal gas tax should be suspended, that the administration was considering the idea, without giving more detail. He has previously supported temporarily suspending the tax, Reuters reported.
What a suspension would involve
According to Reuters, waiving the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gasoline tax requires Congress to pass legislation. The comments came a day after Trump signed an executive order expanding access to tax-exempt diesel that he unveiled at a rally in Nebraska, according to Reuters.
Reuters reported that high gasoline and diesel prices, linked to attacks on refineries amid the war with Iran and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pose a political risk for Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday put Trump’s approval at 32 percent, with the cost of living cited as Americans’ top concern, Reuters reported.
Trump did not say how long any suspension would last, and the administration has not announced a separate proposal to suspend the tax on diesel beyond the executive order described above.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters.
