Government Energy Policy, Business and Technology

Gas Tax Hike in an Election Year? It'll Be a Tough Sell in Congress

Route Fifty: Raising the federal gas tax to help pay for infrastructure will be no easy feat in Congress, particularly in an election year, top lawmakers from both parties on a House transportation committee acknowledged Wednesday.

Discussions about whether to raise the tax are simmering on Capitol Hill as lawmakers discuss an infrastructure blueprint President Trump put forward last month that calls for $200 billion of new spending but does not propose new revenues to cover the cost.

The Highway Trust Fund, meanwhile, has had its finances weakened in recent years by eroding fuel tax revenues. The fund is a primary federal account for covering road and transit costs and is funded mostly by revenues from taxes on gas and diesel.

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