Can you believe the price of gas? States move quickly to help drivers

Decades-high inflation was already giving Americans a headache. Then came Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent gas prices soaring.

Now, blue and red states alike are embracing a solution that makes for great headlines: cutting gas taxes.

As federal action languishes on the issue, some states are quickly moving to suspend their own fuel taxes to counter price shocks at the pump. Governors and state lawmakers, in the midst of an election year, say it’s necessary relief for drivers.

“The combination of a war and a pandemic — if that’s not an emergency I don’t know what is,” said New York state Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), who chairs the Senate Energy Committee.