Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the Trump administration is open to suspending the federal gas tax to lower costs for Americans consumers amid the war in Iran.
“All measures that can be taken to lower the price of at the pump and lower the prices for Americans, this administration is in support of,” Wright said during a May 10 appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” after being asked about pausing the gas tax.
The national average gas price rose last week to $4.55 a gallon, according to AAA. Gas prices haven’t risen this high since 2022, when the national average reached $5.01.
The federal gas tax is about 18 cents per gallon, and 24 cents per gallon for diesel fuel.
Wright refused to predict whether gas prices would spike above $5 a gallon this year.
“I don’t know the future of gas prices,” he told moderator Kristen Welker when pressed about whether gas prices could rise more in the coming weeks.
During a March appearance on “Meet the Press,” Wright previously told Welker there was a “good chance” consumers would see $3 gas before the summer. In the May 10 appearance, he hedged on those claims, saying he couldn’t “make any predictions.”
“When we start to get free flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, energy prices will come down,” he said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Energy Secretary says Trump ‘open’ to pausing gas tax amid climbing prices
Reporting by Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
