California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing pressure to throw a lifeline to Californians struggling with highest-in-the-nation gas prices as President Donald Trump signed plans to suspend the federal gas tax.
Trump said Monday he plans to “take off the gas tax for a period of time” — though he needs the backing of Congress — calling it a “great idea” to offer Americans relief at the pump.
Newsom has no plans to follow suit in California — where gas prices hovered at $6.16 per gallon Monday, well above the national average of $4.52, according to AAA.
California drivers already shoulder the highest gas taxes in the country, which include an excise tax of 61 cents per gallon, sales taxes and other fees. The federal gas tax is 18 cents per gallon by comparison.
“I support any and all efforts to give Californians relief from high gas prices,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Republican-leaning independent, told The Post. “A pause in the federal tax would help, but the bigger problem is California’s highest-in-the-nation state tax.”
“I have introduced the Gas Tax Reduction Act to limit this tax and have called on state leaders to suspend the 61-cent-per-gallon tax in its entirety,” he added.
“[The gas tax] is the most regressive tax in California—working people, rural people are spending three times as much maintaining our roads as wealthier EV owners,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a Dem candidate for governor, who’s called to suspend and reform the gas tax.
“Gavin Newsom should have suspended it, as I called upon him to do months ago. Now he has no excuse. What is wrong with Gavin Newsom?” said Steve Hilton, Republican candidate for governor.
The federal gas tax has been in place since the 1990s, and generates up to $40 billion annually to support the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for road maintenance and construction.
Temporarily suspending the federal gas tax likely requires approval from Congress. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said on social media that he would introduce legislation to accomplish that when Congress reconvenes this week, and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) announced similar plans.
Democrats, including Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), sponsored a bill to suspend the gas tax in March.
Newsom’s office called Trump’s announcement a “distraction” and a “gimmick” that would not help motorists.
“Let’s be clear about the math: the federal gas tax is 18 cents a gallon. Trump’s Iran War surcharge? According to GasBuddy, it’s adding roughly $1.35 per gallon right now, costing American drivers $571 million today alone,” said Newsom spokesperson Anthony Martinez.
“Next week is National Infrastructure Week, and we are reminded that Trump couldn’t pass an infrastructure bill during his entire first term,” Martinez added. “Now he wants to raid the very fund that pays for America’s roads and bridges. He’s not offering relief. He’s offering a photo op while weakening our country at home and on the world stage.”
A gas tax suspension would eliminate funding for road and bridge repairs, and there’s no guarantee that fuel companies would pass savings on to consumers, Newsom’s office claimed.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has also resisted calls to pause the gas tax, questioning whether a prior effort in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine was much of a help for consumers, according to Politico.
Trump’s Interior Secretary Doug Burgum blasted Newsom for creating an energy “island” and complaining about rising gas prices since the Iran war.
Michelle Laila, a student in California, filled up her vehicle Monday when The Post asked her about the rising prices. “I think it’s outrageous. I feel like it’s not fair to people, especially the working folk, it’s expensive and we can’t go out and yeah, it’s really unfair,” she said.
California is more reliant on foreign oil than other states, thanks partly to the winding down of major refineries and a state mandate to achieve “net zero” emissions by 2045 — leaving it exposed to price shocks.
“I mean, this was a condition that they created for themselves long before the current conflict, but it’s going to get worse for them going forward and we’re doing everything we can to try to help,” Burgum told Breitbart News in an interview Monday.
Newsom was defiant about his administration’s energy policies at a press conference in San Francisco last week.
California’s Cap-and-Invest program alone adds at least 20 cents per gallon to fuel prices while increasing other costs, critics say. Newsom repeatedly pointed the finger at Trump.
“Now, as it relates to the cost of fuels, California hasn’t changed anything as it relates to cost. Those baseline costs have been static. But the cost at the pump has not been, for one reason: Donald Trump’s recklessness as it relates to the war in Iran,” Newsom told reporters Friday.
The California legislature has shown little appetite for suspending the gas tax, as a prior effort by state Sen. Tony Strickland was quickly killed in March.
