A year after Joe Biden took the office on January 20, 2021, the regular price of gas per gallon went from $2.37 to $4.35 now.
The factors that resulted in the increase per gas gallon include the 25 actions Biden has taken in the office which include limiting new oil exploration and regulating current production.
Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector.
Now, Republican legislative leaders in Michigan and Pennsylvania announced proposals Wednesday to suspend or reduce state gas taxes. That came after the Republican governor of Georgia and Democratic governor of California both called for relief from state gas taxes Tuesday, when President Joe Biden ordered a ban on Russian oil imports.
ABC News reported the increasing number of governors and state lawmakers are calling for the suspension of gas taxes to provide relief to motorists:
Republican legislative leaders in Michigan and Pennsylvania announced proposals Wednesday to suspend or reduce state gas taxes. That came after the Republican governor of Georgia and Democratic governor of California both called for relief from state gas taxes Tuesday, when President Joe Biden ordered a ban on Russian oil imports.
Meanwhile, the Democratic governors of Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin sent a joint letter to congressional leaders urging them to support legislation suspending the federal government’s 18.4-cent-a-gallon gas tax through 2022.
On average, only about one-third of the value of previous gas tax cuts or tax increases were passed on to consumers, according to a 2020 report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association that analyzed 113 state gas tax changes enacted over several years. That’s because retail gas prices are influenced by complex factors, including the price of crude oil and supply-and-demand pressures.
The request is also to suspend gas taxes are also growing on Capitol Hill. Currently, the said bill that will create a gas-tax holiday is still pending in both the House and Senate. The bill is expected to offset lost revenue by using general fund money to fund state highway and public transit programs.
Jim Tymon, the executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials said that “The real problem with this approach at both the federal and the state level is that there’s no way to ensure that the people will see these savings when they go to the gas pump to fill up their cars, their SUVs and trucks.”
Sources: The Daily Wire, AXIOS, USA Today, NBC Chicago, ABC News