Biden’s Gas Tax Proposal Draws Intense Criticism from Republicans 

Gas Tax
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Nick Gilbertson

President Joe Biden is drawing intense criticism from Republicans over his calls to Congress for a months-long gas tax holiday that would knock 18 cents off a gallon of regular fuel, which averaged $4.94 nationally Thursday, according to data reported by the American Automobile Association.

Biden’s proposal for a three-month gas and diesel tax moratorium came Wednesday following months of sky-high costs and a weeks-long streak this month where the national average of regular gas prices shattered records daily. The federal taxes for gas and diesel are 18 cents and 24 cents per gallon, respectively.

“Joe Biden’s plan for a 90-day federal gas tax holiday will only save you $0.18 when the national average price has increased by more than $2.50 since he took office,” tweeted Jennifer-Ruth Green, the Republican nominee for Iowa’s First Congressional District. “It’s like trying to fix a bursting water pipe with scotch tape.” 

In a tweet, Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) tagged the @POTUS account and stated that “it’s not the 18 cents hurting Americans, it’s the $5 before it.”

“The Dems’ so-called gas tax ‘holiday’ is a gimmick worth 18 cents a gallon, or about 6% of the increase in gas since Biden took office,” Sen Tom Cotton (R-AK) said. “It’s meant to cover up the fact that Dem policies have restricted supply & raised costs.”

The official Twitter account for Republicans in the House of Representatives shared a video of former President Barack Obama back when he was a presidential candidate, calling gas tax holidays “gimmicks.”

“But for us to suggest that 30 cents a day for three months is real relief – that that’s a real energy policy – means that we are not tackling the problem that has to be tackled,” Obama said at the time. “We are offering gimmicks.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, (R-TX) used Obama’s own categorization of gas tax holidays and dubbed Biden’s proposal a “gimmick” adding that “Unleashing American energy is the real solution.”

Joe Kent, a President Donald Trump-backed Republican candidate running for the Third Congressional District in Washington, called Biden’s proposal a “distraction” rather than a “solution.”

“Biden killed our energy independence, if he cared about the American people he’d reverse his policies,” he added. 

For months, the Biden Administration has stamped the high costs at the pump “Putin’s Price Hike,” asserting that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is to blame. In a fact check, Breitbart News determined the claim was “false,” noting that inflation “was high and rising long before the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

“The biggest factor in the rise of energy prices has been increased global demand and a lack of capital investment,” Breitbart News’s John Carney wrote. “The latter was caused, in part, by ESG investing, Biden’s promise to end fossil fuels, and regulators discouraging fossil fuel production.”

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