Cleaver: I’d ‘Like to See’ Gas Tax Raised, But ‘Unfortunately,’ People Have Gotten Used to Low Gas Prices

On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) said that he prefers raising the gasoline tax to pay for infrastructure, but “unfortunately, Americans have become so accustomed to the low gas prices,” and you need to pass a system that most people will support.

Cleaver said, “I do think that, given the preference, I, and probably many others, would like to see the gasoline tax raised. As you know, that has been talked about for decades. And unfortunately, Americans have become so accustomed to the low gas prices, and even though I would challenge anybody if they leave wherever they are right now, looking at this — at your show, to go out and ask ten people how much they pay in federal gasoline taxes, they can’t tell you. They won’t be able to tell you until a number’s put out there, when somebody says we’re going to raise the taxes in order to pay our infrastructure costs, or the re-building of our infrastructure, and then, all of a sudden, somebody will start waging a war. They’re trying to raise your taxes. You won’t be able to drive anyplace. It’s going to cost too much money and so forth. So, you’ve got to come up with a system, I think, that the majority of the American public will go along with.”

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