Democrats divided over proposal to suspend federal gas tax – By Alexander Bolton (The Hill) / March 13, 2022
A proposal to suspend the federal gas tax is gaining political momentum among Senate Democrats who are worried that high gas prices will hurt them in the midterm election.
The measure sponsored by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), who both face competitive re-election races, would suspend the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gas tax until January.
The idea has never gained much traction among Senate Democrats because the tax is the main source of funding for the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for federal roads and bridges.
But anxious Democratic senators say the rising price of gas, accelerated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has become a domestic “crisis.”
