So, President Donald Trump, acknowledging the possibility of only slight relief, earlier this week floated the idea of suspending the federal gas tax.
Getting it done requires the help of Congress, but bipartisan interest already existed when Trump’s comments turned attention to the possibility.
Suspending the gas tax would take 18.4 cents per gallon off the price.
It may seem as though there’s no down side to shelving the tax for a bit, but Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Indiana) said on American Family Radio Wednesday that Congress needs to be careful with money that’s dedicated for roads and bridges. Travel infrastructure still has needs, and the funds have to come from somewhere.
“I’m always supportive of tax cuts, but I would want to make sure that we offset that with other cuts,” he told show host Jenna Ellis.
Stutzman and others have a great idea of where to make those cuts.
“We had a great conversation last night in the Freedom Caucus about all of the fraud, the wasted and abuse of the federal government programs in Minnesota and California. It’s becoming more and more exposed.”
Minnesota has become a focal point of federal scrutiny over alleged fraud in state-administered programs. Earlier this year the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) notified Minnesota it was out of compliance with federal Medicaid law, leading to the withholding of half a billion dollars in quarterly matching funds.
California has also faced federal scrutiny. CMS sent letters to California in March raising concerns about potential fraud in its Medicaid program.
The Trump administration alleged "extensive and systematic fraud" in California and four other Democratic-led states, that it said were "illicitly providing illegal aliens" with benefits.
Comer sets sights on abuse
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has introduced legislation that would curb early disbursement of funds to “high-risk” recipients.
Comer on Wednesday announced that Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) will chair the newly created Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses.
The task force will focus on illegal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, the abuse of immigration and social welfare programs and efforts by foreign actors and dark money groups to suppress Americans’ free speech.
“It would be easy to stop that sort of wasteful spending and apply it towards roads and bridges and replace that and still lower the gas tax while President Trump wraps up the negotiations and the war with Iran,” Stutzman said.
Gas price relief is good, but lawmakers have to be responsible for road maintenance and upkeep.
Suspending the state gas tax was an easier call for Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican, because his home state has a balanced budget, Stutzman said. That obviously isn’t the case in Washington.
But challenge creates opportunity.
“In Washington, of course, we have deficits and debt. So, I think this is an opportunity for us to make out what are the priorities for the American people. Right now, relief at the pump would be a big help,” Stutzman said.
Cutting from federal programs where rampant abuse has been identified then using the money to assist temporarily for gas price relief seems like a commonsense move, but Stutzman isn’t optimistic that Congress can get it done.
It will stall against the Democrats’ filibuster in the Senate, he predicts.
“Democrats don’t want to give President Trump a win on anything,” Stutzman said.
There could be political capitol to be used later, messaging around the midterm elections that would remind voters of the Democrats’ stance should Stutzman’s filibuster fears prove correct.
Early bipartisan support
Not all Democrats oppose suspending the gas tax.
In March Democrat Sens. Mark Kelly and Richard Blumenthal introduced legislation that would suspend the tax through Oct. 1. The Gas Prices Relief Act has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) announced on Monday that he will introduce similar legislation.
In the House, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-New Jersey) has proposed legislation that would suspend the gas tax for 18 months.
“We as Republicans need to look out for the American consumer, for the American family and say, ‘look, if we can suspend the gas tax, take money back from these states that are abusing welfare programs, put that towards roads and bridges … we could do this easily and give some relief until the conflict is over in the Middle East,” Stutzman said.
