Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on May 11th introduced the Gas Tax Suspension Act, which would suspend the federal tax on gas and diesel for 90 days. The bill would allow the president to extend the suspension for an additional 90 days if he determines economic conditions merit a continued pause. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) indicated she would lead a corresponding legislative effort in the U.S. House of Representatives. President Donald Trump said in an interview May 11th that he would support pausing the federal gas tax for a period.
This proposal has gained momentum as a response to high fuel prices, which have soared primarily because of the Iran war and the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz. As of May 12th, 2026, the national average price of a gallon of gasoline was $4.50, while the national average price for a gallon of diesel was $5.64, according to AAA.
Some Democratic lawmakers have been promoting a pause on the federal gas tax for months. On March 9th, Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Gas Prices Relief Act, which would suspend the federal gas tax through October 1st, 2026. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) is leading companion legislation in the House.
The federal fuel tax is a fundamental revenue source for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which supports critical transportation programs. Suspending the gas tax—even for a fixed amount of time—would deal a serious blow to the HTF, which is already unstable.
The purchasing power of the HTF continues to diminish. The federal motor fuel tax rate of 18.4 cents per gallon for gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel has not been raised since 1993. The growth in construction costs and the fuel efficiency of vehicles has caused the purchasing power of the federal gas tax to decline 80% since 1993. Baseline projections issued by the Congressional Budget Office this February indicate that the Mass Transit Account of the HTF will run out of money in mid-2027, and the Highway Account will do the same in 2028. Any prolonged pause in the collection of gas tax revenue could accelerate these forecasts and make it more difficult for Congress to enact a surface transportation reauthorization bill before existing programs expire on September 30th. Additionally, the Bipartisan Policy Center projects a five-month gas tax suspension would increase federal deficits by approximately $12 billion.
A gas tax suspension would not necessarily guarantee savings for consumers. A variety of factors, such as supply and demand, affect the prices people actually see when they pull up to a fuel station. Furthermore, there is no definite mechanism to ensure motorists would see any real relief at the pump.
Pausing the gas tax would set an irresponsible precedent indicating gas taxes should not be collected when fuel prices are high. Additionally, undoing a gas tax suspension would be difficult and unpopular if one is enacted, especially if fuel prices have not come down, further threatening the largest source of revenue for the HTF.
ASCE strongly opposes any efforts to suspend the gas tax at the federal and state levels. ASCE supports the “user pay” principle, which is based on the idea that people who use and benefit from infrastructure assets, such as roads and bridges, should bear the costs associated with them. Recent legislation proposing to pause the gas tax would disrupt a reliable user pay system and negatively affect critical transportation programs.
We need your help in urging your Senators and Representative to oppose legislation – from both chambers and sides of the political aisle – to suspend the federal gas tax.
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