Six Democrat governors, facing the ire of their constituents for liberal policies that have contributed to rising gas prices, are now petitioning Congress to suspend the federal gas tax (18.3 cents).
The irony is that the federal gas tax is designed to support infrastructure projects, which the Democrat-led House of Representatives determined to be of such importance that they passed a 1.2 trillion infrastructure Bill in Nov. 2021.
Biden said at the time, “And now, after years of talking about infrastructure, we’re finally getting it done,” according to a WCCO News report.
Some note it is not surprising that five of the six governors are up for re-election in November. The Daily Wire notes the governors making the push are: Jared Polis of Colorado, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Tim Waltz of Minnesota, Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, and Tony Evers of Wisconsin.
“At a time when people are directly impacted by rising prices on everyday goods, a federal gas tax holiday is a tool in the toolbox to reduce costs for Americans, and we urge you to give every consideration to this proposed legislation,” the governors wrote last week in a letter to House and Senate leadership.
The New York Post reported that notably, those six governors have not introduced any state-level initiatives to reduce the tax burden on their residents. The Post reports that in addition to the 18.3 federal tax, those Democrat governors add on the following charges to their residents:
“According to the Federation of Tax Administrators, Pennsylvania tacks on 57.6 cents per gallon — the highest state gas tax in the US. Wisconsin adds 30.9 cents per gallon to pump prices, Minnesota has a 28.5-cent-per-gallon tax, Michigan’s gas tax stands at 27.2 cents per gallon, Colorado adds 22 cents to every gallon, and New Mexico adds 17 cents.”
Leading the way to help their residents, Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp both signed legislation in their respective states last week to suspend the state-level tax on gas.
The Maryland law suspends the state’s gas tax for 30 days, while the Georgia law suspends the tax through May 31.
“This bipartisan action will provide some relief from the pain at the pump, and it is possible because of the prudent fiscal steps we have taken, which have resulted in a record budget surplus,” Hogan said.
“This is, of course, not a cure-all, and market instability will continue to lead to fluctuations in prices, but we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to provide relief for Marylanders.”
Kemp announced the legislation last Friday:
“The average price of a gallon of gas has increased from $2.69 to $4.28 since March of 2021, a 59% increase, and researchers are now estimating that the average American household could spend an average of $2,000 more per year because of increased fuel cost and sky-high inflation.”
Kemp continued by dismissing the Biden administration’s claim that the root of America’s gas price problems can be attributed to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine:
“While some of the more recent price hikes are due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Georgians also know that Washington, D.C., policies and politics were driving inflation to record highs well before Putin’s despicable actions.”
Kemp echoed what many conservatives are saying, faulting the Biden administration domestic energy policies for driving inflation:
“Today, I signed HB 304, to temporarily halt collection of the state gas tax, and ease the burden consumers are feeling at the pump,” Kemp continued. “We can’t fix everything that Washington has broken, but we are doing our part to lessen the impact on your wallet.”
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