Wouldn’t it make more sense to pass legislation allowing more drilling for oil on U.S. property? Will 18.3 cents per gallon for regular gas and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel really make a difference? It’s really about patronizing low info voters to protect the vulnerable elected Dems
Vulnerable Democrats press Pelosi to reverse rejection of gas tax holiday
Embattled Democrats are pushing back on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) decision to reject a gas tax holiday, urging party leaders to reconsider a proposal as lawmakers take a beating over sky-high gas prices.
The grumbling is especially pronounced among lawmakers facing tough reelection contests in November, who are eager to bring home a policy they say would provide tangible and immediate savings for drivers at the pump.
As the summer driving season quickly approaches, they’re not disguising their dismay with their own leadership’s argument that the tax holiday would prove ineffective.
“I guess they’re focused on things that would be helpful, but they’re longer-term. And I’m focused on the shorter term. And I think that if they came to my district they would see that we have a short-term need that needs to be addressed,” said Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
Slotkin acknowledged there’s no silver bullet at Congress’s disposal to deal with high prices. But suspending the federal gas tax, currently 18.4 cents per gallon, would be an efficient and effective way to lower costs quickly, she said.
The national average for regular gas on his last day in office, January 20, was $2.393 per gallon. Per AAA, the national average today, April 30, 2022, is $4.178. What does 18.4 cents do? I just paid $3.99 this morning (NC average is $3.917, but, I’ve seen it lower around). A gas station around the corner from work went up 10 cents between yesterday and today.
Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), another supporter of the gas tax holiday, echoed those concerns, characterizing the proposal as “the most immediate way that we can deliver some much-needed relief.”
In states like his, where the economy leans heavily on tourism, he said the tax suspension would have an additional benefit because it would “encourage people to travel this summer.”
Why do Dems want people to drive more? Aren’t most of them climate cultists? Pappas sure is. Well, for Other People, he’s happy to take long fossil fueled flights rather than the train to D.C.
On Thursday, Pelosi acknowledged “some interest” among Democrats for the tax holiday, but rejected the idea as both ineffective and too expensive.
“We had no evidence to think that the oil companies would pass that on to the consumer,” she told reporters in the Capitol. “So the question is, is it worth having to go get money, to return to cover the shortfall in the trust fund, in order to get a break to the Big Oil companies?”
Cute. But, they have no choice in passing it on. The individual gas stations will no longer add that tax in. She’s just trying to shift blame. And, she doesn’t care about the peons, she wants that tax revenue
Other Republicans, though, are opposed to the idea, calling it an election year “gimmick.” And still others said they’d happily jump on board — if Democrats were also willing to consider proposals to open larger parts of the country to oil and gas drilling.
“If you coupled suspension with expansion of domestic production, I’d think you’d have broad Republican support,” said Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.).
Democrats won’t allow that.
Read: Some Democrats Want Pelosi To Pass A Gas Tax Holiday »