Wednesday, President Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal fuel tax for three months amid rising costs at the pump.
“Today I’m calling on Congress to suspend the Federal gas tax for the next 90 days, through the busy summer season, busy travel season,” said Biden in the announcement.
The president’s proposal was met with criticism from Republicans, who say a long-term solution is needed to adequately address the spike in fuel costs.
One critic of Biden’s proposal, Gov. Kay Ivey, said a fuel tax suspension would not solve Alabamians’ woes at the pump. Instead, Alabama’s chief executive called on the president to unleash American energy production.
“Alabamians and Americans alike are hurting, and it’s a real shame President Biden is failing to address the problem,” said Ivey in a Wednesday statement. “Folks across our state need relief, but I do not believe that relief will come through a fuel tax suspension at the federal or state levels. In fact, as we have continued to look closely at this issue, I believe that this could cause more harm than good in Alabama, ultimately costing taxpayers.
According to AAA Gas Prices, Alabamians are paying, on average, $4.56 per regular gallon of gasoline.
Ivey railed against the Biden administration’s decision in early May to scrap Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases.
“President Biden could not be more hard-headed on the issue of American energy independence, but he campaigned on that, so, it comes as no surprise to me,” she added. “He is closing pipelines with the stroke of a pen. Here in our neck of the woods, the Gulf of Mexico is currently in a moratorium with no lease sales being held, which impacts both our oil and gas industries, as well as the Alabama consumer. He is pointing his finger at the oil industry and is looking anywhere else but home. There is also no certainty that Americans will feel even temporary relief from this band-aid approach. Let’s be clear: We need a permanent solution.”
“The Biden Administration is seeing bad poll numbers, and they’re scrambling. This is a gimmick, plain and simple,” concluded the governor.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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