President Joe Biden is searching for ways to lower the high gas prices that he feels have contributed to his low approval ratings, but politicians on both sides of the aisle have taken issue with his most recent plan.
According to The Hill, Biden plans to ask Congress to suspend federal taxes on gasoline and diesel for three months in hopes of bringing down prices at the pump.
However, multiple senators in his own party have pushed back against the idea.
“I’m glad that [Biden] is exploring ways to lower gas prices at the pump,” Delaware Sen. Tom Carper wrote on Twitter. “Still, suspending the primary way that we pay for infrastructure projects on our roads is a shortsighted and inefficient way to provide relief. We should explore other options for lowering energy costs.”
I’m glad that @POTUS is exploring ways to lower gas prices at the pump. Still, suspending the primary way that we pay for infrastructure projects on our roads is a shortsighted and inefficient way to provide relief. We should explore other options for lowering energy costs.
— Senator Tom Carper (@SenatorCarper) June 21, 2022
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat who has stymied much of Biden’s agenda, has also said that the idea of pausing gas taxes would not be worth the consequences.
“People want their bridges and their roads, and we have an infrastructure bill we just passed this summer, and they want to take that all away,” Manchin said in February, according to The Hill.
Should the federal gas tax be suspended?
Meanwhile, many Republicans feel suspending the gas tax is simply a last-gasp effort from Biden that will not fix the energy crisis.
“Joe Biden has caused gas prices to hit historic highs by killing American energy and implementing 39 new regulations and executive orders,” Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn wrote. “Suspending the gas tax will not fix Biden’s energy crisis. It is a fake fix.”
Joe Biden has caused gas prices to hit historic highs by killing American energy and implementing 39 new regulations and executive orders.
Suspending the gas tax will not fix Biden’s energy crisis. It is a fake fix.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) June 22, 2022
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton shared a similar sentiment in a tweet of his own.
“The Dems’ so-called gas tax ‘holiday’ is a gimmick worth 18 cents a gallon, or about 6% of the increase in gas since Biden took office,” Cotton wrote. “It’s meant to cover up the fact that Dem policies have restricted supply & raised costs.”
The Dems’ so-called gas tax “holiday” is a gimmick worth 18 cents a gallon, or about 6% of the increase in gas since Biden took office.
It’s meant to cover up the fact that Dem policies have restricted supply & raised costs.
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) June 21, 2022
These arguments from Republicans are very similar to ones former President Barack Obama made during his presidential campaign in 2008, The Hill reported.
He also referred to the idea of suspending federal gas taxes as a “gimmick,” and he said politicians only wanted to do so to “say that they did something.”
Given the opposition from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, Biden’s plan is expected to be shot down, according to The Hill.
Meanwhile, Americans are becoming increasingly frustrated with the price of gas, a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll indicated.
The poll found just 27 percent of Americans approved of Biden’s handling of gas prices. It was conducted from June 3 to June 4 among 542 adults and had a margin of error of 4.8 percent.
