Y’all Politics
Biden proposes federal gas tax holiday. Lawmakers call it a “cheap gimmick”
President Biden has made an Executive Order calling for a three-month holiday on all federal gas taxes.
By Sarah Ulmer
With the average gallon of gas in the U.S. now at $5.00, President Joe Biden has called for a three-month break in all federal taxes on gasoline in order to elevate the burden Americans are facing at the pump.
The federal government currently charges an 18-cent tax per gallon of gasoline and 24-cent per gallon for diesel. Those taxes are said to be used on infrastructure needs through the Highway Trust Fund.
The gas tax suspension would last until the end of September.
Some lawmakers, however, are calling this action by the President a “cheap gimmick.”
“First, President Biden blamed Vladimir Putin for skyrocketing gas prices. Then, he blamed energy producers. Now, he is trying to dodge blame for our energy crisis by resorting to a cheap gimmick,” Mississippi U.S. Senator Roger Wicker said in a statement. “A gas tax holiday would do next to nothing to relieve the pain Americans are feeling at the pump, which is a direct result of this Administration’s war on American energy. President Biden owns this crisis. He should be calling for more domestic oil and gas production, not more distractions.”
Mississippi’s other U.S. Senator, Cindy Hyde-Smith, agreed with her colleague, tweeting on Wednesday, “[The President is] desperately looking for a solution to the pain Americans are feeling from Bidenflation and his sky rocketing gas prices. The result? Another gimmick: A gas tax holiday (that even his own party has doubts about.) It’s past time to Unleash American Energy.”
The President also called on Congress to ensure that the holiday has no negative impact on the Highway Trust Fund.
“The President believes that we can afford to suspend the gas tax to help consumers while using other revenues to make the Highway Trust Fund whole for the roughly $10 billion cost. This is consistent with legislation proposed in the Senate and the House to advance a responsible gas tax holiday,” said the White House press release.
The Biden Administration said they are aware that the gas tax holiday alone will not relieve the rise in costs that have been seen. White House officials continue to point to the war in Ukraine and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin specifically as the cause of the issues American families are facing at the pump.
In his announcement, the President also asked for states to move toward relief efforts like suspending their own gas taxes.