Energy Secretary says government is ready to suspend petrol tax
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview with Meet the Press that the Trump administration is open to suspending the federal gas tax.
As U.S. gas prices continue to hurt consumers’ pockets, President Donald Trump may be considering eliminating the country’s federal gasoline tax.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on May 10 and said he and his administration are open to suspending federal taxes.
“This administration supports any steps that are taken to lower prices at the pump and lower prices for Americans,” he said.
On Monday, President Trump told CBS News that eliminating the federal gas tax is a “great idea.”
“Yes, we are going to abolish the gas tax for a certain period of time, but we are going to reinstate it in stages when the gas supply runs out,” he told the outlet.
But this isn’t the first time this spring that the idea of suspending gas taxes amid soaring prices has been floated.
Philadelphia lawmaker proposes gas price relief bill. Brendan Boyle, Philadelphia Gas Price Relief Act
In April, Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pennsylvania) announced the Gas Price Relief Act in Philadelphia, aimed at lowering soaring gas prices.
Boyle criticized President Trump and the Iran war, blaming them for national gas price increases not seen since 2022.
His bill would suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax for any period when the national average is above $4, and reduce or eliminate the tax based on price.
The bill would also reallocate $30 billion in federal aid paid to oil and gas companies to address potential funding shortfalls in the Highway Trust Fund.
Boyle’s bill was introduced on April 30 and referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.
Kaitlyn McCormick is a Philadelphia-based reporter who writes about trends, news and all things city-related for USA TODAY’s Philadelphia Metro Connect team.
