Two Democratic senators facing tough reelection contests proposed Wednesday to suspend the federal gas tax for the rest of the year to help consumers struggling with high fuel prices.
The Gas Prices Relief Act, introduced by Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Mark Kelly of Arizona, would suspend the 18.4-cents-per-gallon federal gas tax through Jan. 1.
“Arizonans are paying some of the highest prices for gas we have seen in years and it’s putting a strain on families who need to fill up the tank to get to work and school,” Mr. Kelly said in a statement.
The average price of gas nationally has reached about $3.45 per gallon, according to the automobile owners club AAA. And gas prices typically rise in summer as demand increases.
The proposal comes as Republicans are blaming the Biden administration and Democrats for inflation that hit a 40-year high in December. The legislation isn’t expected to gain enough support to pass.
Democrats traditionally oppose plans to lower the federal gas tax, which helps to pay for road repairs and transit systems.
Last year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers working with the White House on a $1 trillion infrastructure plan even toyed with the idea of indexing the gas tax to keep up with inflation. The gas tax was last increased in 1993.
Ms. Hassan said lawmakers “need to continue to think creatively about how we can find new ways to bring down costs, and this bill would do exactly that, making a tangible difference for workers and families.”
Co-sponsors of the bill include Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who are also up for reelection in November.
In 2019, the gas tax and a 24.4-cent-per-gallon tax on diesel fuel raised about $36.5 billion.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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