Democrats offer plans for easing pain at the pump as they eye midterms
WASHINGTON – Drivers are paying more at the pump than before President Donald Trump launched military operations against Iran over two months ago, as hostilities in the Middle East have disrupted oil supplies and driven up fuel prices.
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Sensing political opportunity, Democrats have embraced populist proposals to pause state and federal fuel taxes as a way of easing pressure on consumers.
State Rep. James Talarico of Austin, the Democratic Senate nominee, has called for suspending the federal gas tax of 18 cents per gallon, a move he said would provide immediate relief for consumers struggling with inflation.
“The people who started this war in Iran don’t feel it the way we do,” Talarico said last month in promoting his plan. “They’re not worried about the price of gas. They don’t fill up the tank halfway and then stop because they see the price climbing.”
He said voters want their elected leaders to end “forever wars” and focus on affordability.
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Talarico will face the winner of a May 26 Republican runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Cornyn criticized the plan as misguided and downplayed the increase in gas prices. A Paxton representative declined to comment on Talarico’s plan.
High prices
The national average price for gas was over $4.55 a gallon on Thursday, according to AAA, up from $3.15 a year ago.
In North Texas, gas continues to average over $4 in some counties. That has led to the talk about suspending the federal gas tax, which would require congressional action and would be unprecedented.
Asked about Talarico’s proposal, Cornyn described the gas tax as a “user fee” that provides much-needed highway funding.
“We’re $38 trillion in debt and the gas tax . . . helps pay for the highways and infrastructure and there’s not enough of it,” Cornyn told The Dallas Morning News. “He’s a guy who doesn’t really understand how that all works, and he’s trying to be relevant, but it doesn’t compute.”
Talarico has responded to such arguments by suggesting increasing taxes paid by billionaires could offset the highway funding lost by suspending the gas tax.
Cornyn said he is hopeful the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will improve soon. He noted gas prices climbed even higher under former President Joe Biden.
AAA recorded the national average at just over $5 a gallon on June 14, 2022, during Biden’s presidency.
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“People have short-term memories,” Cornyn said.
Election fallout
Recent polling shows the conflict in Iran and the jump in gas prices have hurt Trump’s approval rating and threaten GOP midterm election prospects.
Trump has highlighted U.S. domestic oil production and taken steps to mitigate the price spikes, including coordinating releases of oil from reserves and allowing the flow of sanctioned oil, according to the White House.
“As the president continues to exert maximum leverage over Iran with the ongoing successful blockade to bring this conflict to an end, we will see global energy markets stabilize and gas prices plummet back to the multi-year lows Americans enjoyed prior to the start of Operation Epic Fury,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.
Cal Jillson, a Southern Methodist University political science professor, said gas prices have been influencing Americans’ views on society and politics for more than half a century.
“Gas prices have always been important in elections because it’s one of the most visible prices that people see,” he said.
Jillson said it’s unlikely federal or state gas taxes will be suspended, but Talarico could score political points on the issue, particularly with voters who are not deeply engaged in politics but respond to a basic populist message.
“Not going to happen, but it doesn’t hurt him to call for it because a lot of people are very sensitive to those prices,” Jillson said.
At the state level
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin, the Democratic nominee for governor, has highlighted other states that have moved to suspend their gas taxes and called on Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to follow their lead.
Hinojosa this week posted on X a graphic showing average Texas gas prices.
“Gas at $4 a gallon now in Texas. What are you waiting for, [Abbott]?” she said in the post. “Suspend the gas tax.”
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The Abbott campaign has said money from the state gas tax flows to roads and schools and questioned the governor’s power to unilaterally suspend the gas tax.
“Democrats are fundamentally ignorant of Texas law,” Abbott press secretary Eduardo Leal said. “There is nothing in the law that allows the governor to suspend any tax. If that authority existed, the governor would have suspended property taxes already.”
Hinojosa has disputed that, saying Abbott could invoke emergency powers to suspend the gas tax.
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