President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the administration was thinking about suspending the 18.4-cent federal gasoline tax, a step that would still need Congress.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration was thinking about suspending the federal gasoline tax as high pump prices weigh on Republicans before the November midterm elections, Reuters reported from Washington. Asked whether the tax should be suspended, he said, "We're thinking about that," and gave no further plan.
The federal levy is 18.4 cents a gallon on gasoline. Reuters said waiving it requires Congress to pass a law. Bloomberg reported that both the House and the Senate have already left Washington to campaign, which makes a vote before the election unlikely.
The comments came a day after Trump signed an executive order expanding access to tax-exempt diesel, an idea he had raised at a rally in Nebraska, Reuters said. He has backed a gas-tax pause in earlier months as fuel costs rose after the US-Israeli war with Iran and attacks on refineries.
A report of the same remarks, citing AAA, said the national average for regular gasoline was $4.3685 a gallon on Tuesday, more than a dollar above a year earlier. It said the tax raises more than $23 billion a year for highways and transit, and that dropping it would cut about 4 percent from the price of a gallon of regular.
No bill was introduced with the remarks. The statement is a consideration, not a suspension.
People Sentiments Mixed
- Trump said the administration was thinking about suspending the tax.
- He told reporters he expected Republicans to do very well in the midterms.