Trump says he is weighing a federal gas tax holiday, but Congress would have to approve it

U.S. President Donald Trump said he is considering suspending the federal gasoline tax, a move that would target voter frustration over fuel prices just 28 days before the midterm elections. The federal gas tax stands at 18.4 cents per gallon, but the White House cannot suspend it on its own because the levy is set by law and would require congressional action. That political hurdle looks steep: similar proposals have already stalled, and the House is not scheduled to return until November, leaving no pre-election voting window. The potential consumer benefit also appears limited. Estimates from the Penn Wharton Budget Model published on May 11 suggest that, under a temporary suspension scenario running from June 1 to Oct. 1, gasoline prices would fall by about 13.2 cents per gallon rather than the full 18.4 cents, because part of the tax cut would likely be absorbed by suppliers. For a household filling a 15-gallon tank once a week, the total savings over 122 days would be about $35. The fiscal cost could be much larger. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated in March that a one-month suspension would reduce Highway Trust Fund revenue by about $3.5 billion, while a six-month holiday would cost about $21 billion and could move the fund’s depletion date forward from July 2028 to around September 2027.