Trump says he is considering suspension of federal gasoline tax
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The Facts
- President Donald Trump said he is considering suspending the federal gasoline tax.
- Trump did not provide details about a possible federal gasoline-tax suspension.
- Congress would need to pass legislation to suspend the federal gasoline tax.
- The federal gasoline tax is 18.4 cents per gallon.
- Trump had previously expressed support for suspending the federal gasoline tax.
- High gasoline and diesel prices are a political issue before the November midterm elections.
- Control of Congress will be decided in the November midterm elections.
Context
Can the president suspend the federal gasoline tax alone?
No. A suspension of the federal gasoline tax would require Congress to pass legislation. Guardian Financial Times News NTD
How large is the federal gasoline tax?
The federal gasoline tax is 18.4 cents per gallon. Guardian Financial Times News NTD
Why is the proposal drawing attention now?
Fuel prices remain elevated, and high gasoline and diesel costs are a concern for voters and Republicans before November’s midterm elections. Guardian Financial Times News Taylorville Daily N…
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Suspending the 18.4-cent-per-gallon tax requires Congress to pass legislation, and the proposal so far comes without details, raised as gas prices become a midterm pressure point.
- Where Left and Right split
- The left and the right split on whether cutting the gas tax now outweighs what its revenue funds.
- Why they won’t converge
- The divide is about trust in institutions: the left insists only a Congress-vetted law can responsibly touch funding streams, while the right trusts executive signaling as a credible down payment on relief regardless of legislative follow-through.
How left and right read it
Relief at the pump is worth taking seriously, but the people who need it most are also the people who depend on what 18.4 cents a gallon pays for. That is why a proposal floated without a single detail, weeks before voters decide control of Congress, has to clear a higher bar than a good headline. Congress has to write this law.
“Donald Trump said on Tuesday his administration was considering suspending the federal gasoline tax, a sign the president is noticing voter anger over fuel costs a month before the midterm elections.” — The Guardian
Every gallon pumped carries 18.4 cents that Washington takes first, before a single family decides what it can afford — and with gasoline and diesel prices already biting, that is money better left in the drivers' hands than collected on autopilot. Suspending the tax has had the President's support before, yet only Congress can write the law.
Cutting the gas tax hands drivers quick relief now, but only Congress can decide if the money it funds can go without.
The receipts — 9 sources
Wire services (1)
Independent coverage (8)
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