We are feeling the pain at the pump. According to AAA, the national average price of gas is $3.498. It was just $2.507 a year ago.
And the price of gas isn’t the only thing that’s going up. Americans are feeling the impact of record inflation, which is reportedly costing the average household an additional $276 per month. Everything, it seems, from food to furniture, is costing us more.
To stop some of the bleeding, Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) introduced legislation for a federal gas tax holiday—a temporary suspension of the federal tax through Jan. 1, 2023. The proposal was met with skepticism, with Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) suggesting that Republicans aren’t likely to support it.
For a look at the evolution of the unpopular tax, see Rising Prices Fuel Discussions on Future of the Federal Gas Tax.