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In a move that could provide temporary relief for millions of Americans, President Trump is considering suspending the federal gas tax to address pain at the pump amid the conflict with Iran.
During an Oval Office event on Monday, President Trump was asked whether he would suspend the federal gas tax. “Yeah, I’m going to reduce…let me tell you, as soon as this is over with Iran, as soon as it’s over, you’re going to see oil and gas drop like a rock,” he said.
During comments with CBS, also on Monday, President Trump told the outlet that he was actively considering pausing the federal gas tax, which is 18 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24 cents per gallon of diesel fuel.
“He said, ‘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, but yes, we’re going to be doing something on that,’” he stated, as quoted by CBS Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes.
Before the president’s comments, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright had told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the Trump administration was “open to all ideas” when it came to relieving pain at the pump.
Wright declined to say whether the federal gas tax would definitely be suspended, but he did note, “all measures that can be taken to lower the price at the pump and lower the prices for Americans, this administration is in support of.”
However, if President Trump is seriously considering suspending the federal gas tax, there is a legal hitch: such a suspension would require congressional approval. This is not something the president could accomplish simply by signing an executive order.
As of Monday, gas prices in the U.S. have risen to $4.47 per gallon on average, with the highest prices mainly on the West Coast, in states like California, where gas is just over $6 per gallon, according to data from GasBuddy.
