Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently slammed President Joe Biden for blocking efforts to tap America’s own fossil fuel reserves.
“The Biden Administration needs to listen to Americans & increase domestic energy instead of relying on authoritarian regimes to fuel our country,” DeSantis tweeted on Tuesday. “Gas prices are out of control & people are getting hammered at the pump. The time is now to make America energy independent – again.”
A handful of DeSantis’ liberal counterparts did not go that far in begging Congress to relieve the pain at the pump.
But the Democratic governors in question have suddenly discovered the magical ability of tax cuts to give everyday Americans more money to buy things – in this case, gas.
On Wednesday, Democratic Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Jared Polis of Colorado, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, and Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania petitioned leaders in Congress to pass the Gas Prices Relief Act.
The bill, floated by Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and supported by a handful of other Senate Democrats, would suspend the 18-cents-a-gallon federal gas tax until Jan. 1.
In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the governors urged Congress “to address rising gas prices by suspending the federal gas tax until the end of the year.”
On Thursday, the national average price of gas was $4.32 a gallon.
The governors noted gas prices have rocketed up more than $1 a gallon over the past year. Kelly’s bill, they wrote, “would alleviate the consumer cost of rising gas prices while protecting the federal government’s capacity to make infrastructure investments.”
“First, it saves Americans at the pump by suspending the federal gas tax for the rest of the year. Money saved at the pump translates into dollars back in consumers’ pockets for groceries, childcare, rent, and more,” the governors noted.
“But importantly, the legislation would also ensure the Highway Trust Fund stays solvent.”
It does so by shifting money from the federal government’s general fund to accounts fed by gas taxes.
The Democrats further pointed out that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act already pumped an additional $118 billion into the federal Highway Trust Fund.
Accordingly, the Trust Fund’s capacity to finance the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, and highways across the country would not be diminished” by Kelly’s bill.
“For these reasons and more, we know it is possible to invest in infrastructure and also provide meaningful relief to consumers at the pump,” they added. “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.”
It’s probably just a coincidence that five of the six governors are up for re-election this fall, as are four of the six Senate Democrats sponsoring the bill.
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