A sign displaying the prices of unleaded gasoline, premium gasoline, and diesel gasoline at the Speedway gas station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, Monday, May 11, 2026.
Brian Kaiser | Bloomberg | Getty Images
As gas prices continue to soar in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections, President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have proposed suspending the federal gas tax.
gasoline and oil Prices have soared since the U.S.-Israel war with Iran broke out more than two months ago. Since the first attacks began, Iran has largely shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil.
President Trump said he would “reduce” taxes in the Oval Office on Monday, shortly after saying in an interview with CBS News that he wanted to suspend taxes “for a period of time.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” he said in an interview with CBS. “Well, we’re going to eliminate the gas tax for a certain period of time and then phase it back in as gas prices go down.”
Since Congress has sole tax authority, Trump cannot declare the gas tax on his own to be abolished. But several Republican lawmakers on Monday announced a suspension of the gas tax, at 18.4 cents per gallon, the same amount since 1993.
The federal gasoline tax primarily pays for the construction and maintenance of federal highways and also funds some public transportation.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) said Monday that he would immediately introduce a bill to Mr. X that would suspend the federal gas tax. “In light of President Trump’s recent statements, I am introducing legislation in the House of Representatives to suspend the federal gas tax,” said Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida).
“American families need this relief in gas prices, and my office will work directly with President Trump to ensure this victory reaches the American people,” he said in a social media post.
President Trump and the Republican Party are working hard to lower prices ahead of November’s midterm elections, which threaten to shift control of Congress to Democrats. A recent Economist/YouGov poll found that just 25% of those surveyed support President Trump’s efforts on inflation and prices, while 69% disapprove.
Gasoline prices in the U.S. are currently about $4.52 per gallon, close to the all-time high of $5.02 in June 2022, according to AAA’s national average. If the federal gasoline tax were lowered, it would drop to about $4.34 per gallon.
