President Donald Trump on Monday said that he supported suspending the federal gas tax as Americans are struggling to make ends meet with higher costs due to the war in Iran.
Trump, 79, went from insisting the war would be over soon to backing a move to temporarily alleviate the increased prices at the pump, as little progress is being made to end the conflict.
It’s a proposal that was also floated when gas prices were high under President Joe Biden, but the move was “dead on arrival” with Republicans in Congress.
Trump first signaled support for pausing the 18.4-cent tax in a call with CBS News on Monday.
“I think it’s a great idea,” he told CBS News’ Nancy Cordes. “Yup, we’re going to take off the gas tax for a period of time, and when gas goes down, we’ll let it phase back in.”
He later confirmed he backed the proposal during an Oval Office event on Monday, but the president faces the harsh reality that it would need to pass through a bitterly divided Congress.
“As soon as it’s over, you’re going to see gasoline and oil drop like a rock. It’s going to be dropping down like a rock,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
He said that he would suspend that tax “until it’s appropriate and that it’s a ”small percentage, but it’s, you know, still money."
It comes as the national average for a gallon of gas has skyrocketed, with the war showing no end in sight. The national average for a gallon of gas is $4.47, according to GasBuddy.com. The price for diesel has fallen only slightly to $5.61 a gallon.
GasBuddy.com warned that gas could reach $4.60 a gallon by the end of the week, while diesel could hit $5.85 and set a new record high in the next few weeks.
Trump’s support for waiving the federal gas tax is a sign that the administration is facing pressure to provide relief for Americans as the war drags on, and Republicans face backlash on Capitol Hill, but it could be a tough path to navigate through Congress.
GOP Sen. Josh Hawley called on Congress to suspend the gas tax and said he would introduce legislation on Monday in light of Trump backing the idea.
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna posted on X that she would also introduce legislation to suspend the gas tax in the House.
“American families need this relief on gas prices. My office will be working directly with President Trump to ensure we deliver this win for the American people,” she wrote.
However, the legislation would need the support of seven Senate Democrats to pass in an incredibly toxic environment where members of the Democratic Party have been deeply critical of the president’s war from the get-go.
While it’s hard for any legislation to pass with bipartisan support these days, and Republicans may have to rely on Democrats to bail them out, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly previously introduced legislation to suspend the federal gas tax through September 30. Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas previously introduced the bill in the House.
“This should have happened months ago.” Pappas wrote on X after Trump signaled support. "@SenMarkKelly and I have legislation to suspend the federal gas tax through September to put money back in families’ pockets. It also protects funding for roads and bridges and will hold oil companies accountable if they don’t pass these savings along to consumers. Let’s pass it this week."
In reality, suspending the federal gas tax to give Americans relief from higher prices is a pitch straight out of the Biden playbook from when gas prices were up during his term.
The former Democratic president requested Congress pass a three-month pause of the federal gas tax in 2022, but GOP Sen. John Thune, now Senate Majority Leader, blasted the move as “another gimmick” and a “Band-Aid” at the time.
