Trump floats a pause on the federal gas tax. Philly Democrat Brendan Boyle has a bill to do that.
Boyle said if Trump is serious he needs to work with Congress to make a pause happen without emptying highway funds.
President Donald Trump said Monday that pausing the 18-cent federal gas tax is “a great idea” — an idea that was proposed last month by U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle in a bill that would cap the federal tax on gas when the national average goes above $4 a gallon.
Boyle (D., Philadelphia) said he introduced his Gas Price Relief Act to help Americans deal with higher prices at the pump caused by the Iran war. Sen. Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.) has pushed similar legislation in the Senate.
On Monday morning, Trump said, “Yup, 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,” CBS News reported.
In response to Trump, Boyle said in a statement late Monday afternoon that if Trump is serious, he should “support my bill and end this disastrous conflict.”
Boyle reminded the president that he can’t act unilaterally, and must work with Congress to reduce the tax, which pays for federal highways.
“We must also ensure the National Highway Trust Fund, which is funded by gas tax revenues, is not left bankrupt,” Boyle said. “My bill fully offsets any lost revenue by ending wasteful taxpayer subsidies for big oil and gas companies.”
Boyle is the ranking member of the House Budget Committee and serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal tax policy.
The Philadelphia Democrat said last month that the federal gas tax generates about $30 billion a year for the fund, and that Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act provided subsidies in that amount for gas and oil companies. To pay for the gas tax break, Boyle wants to pull back corporate subsidies and give the money to the fund instead.
As of Monday, according to the Associated Press, the average national gas price was $4.52 a gallon, according to the AAA motor club, 50% higher than the average price of just under $3 a gallon before Trump began the war against Iran.
Seven months before the midterm elections, gas prices have become a central concern for voters. Democrats are betting that using people’s frustration at the pump is a solid way to take back Congress.
Republicans appear to be getting the message.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri announced plans Monday to introduce his own legislation to suspend the gas tax, according to the AP. And Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna on Florida said in a post on X that she will introduce a bill “to suspend the federal gas tax in light of Trump’s recent remarks.”
