Biden Calls on Congress and States to Pass 3-Month Gas Tax Holiday

President Joe Biden called on Congress and state governments to suspend taxes on gas and diesel for three months. 

While Biden has faced strong pressure to do something about high gas prices, leaders from both parties in Congress have expressed skepticism or outright opposition to a gas tax holiday. Addressing these concerns, Biden said he understood that “the gas tax holiday alone is not going to fix the problem,” adding, “But it will provide families some immediate relief. Just a little bit of breathing room as we continue working to bring down prices for the long haul.” Biden also called on gas companies to independently reduce prices and pushed back against Republican calls for more domestic oil production by calling on gas companies to refine more of the country’s domestically-produced oil into gas. 

Current federal taxes amount to 18.4 cents per gallon of gas and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel. Biden’s statement came as national average gas prices fell to $4.955 from a high of $5.014 a week earlier — about $2 higher than the $3.069 average from a year earlier. 

Coverage was less common and more negative in right-rated outlets. Some articles from both sides highlighted economists who said a gas tax holiday could add to inflation; NPR (Lean Left bias) also said there was no guarantee that gas companies would pass the savings on to consumers.