Cornyn Flips to Back Gas Tax Freeze After Trump Floats Pause (1)

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said he could now support a temporary federal gas tax holiday to bring down gas prices hours after President Donald Trump said he wanted to suspend the gas tax.

Cornyn had previously been skeptical of the idea, but it’s gaining new steam as US gas prices have surged to $4.50 a gallon this week, according to American Automobile Association data, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran and midterm elections rapidly approaching. Trump said he wanted to suspend the federal gas tax in a Monday interview with CBS News.

Cornyn, who is running for re-election in November and is locked in a two-way primary runoff election on May 26 with MAGA darling Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, initially said last week suspending the gas tax would “bankrupt the country,” pointing out that money pays for the nation’s infrastructure. He took a different tack late Monday.

“There’s a difference between a temporary suspension because of current circumstances and a permanent suspension,” Cornyn told Bloomberg Tax. But he said the Senate must have a longer discussion about the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for roads and bridges.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced legislation Monday to suspend federal taxes on gas and diesel for 90 days. The bill would allow the president to extend the suspension for an additional 90 days.

“President Trump has proposed to suspend the federal gas tax and he’s exactly right,” Hawley said in a statement announcing the bill. “American workers and families deserve immediate relief and this legislation will do just that.”

Some Democrats, led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), previously proposed a temporarily freeze on the 18.4-cent tax to bring some relief to drivers, a way to message to voters that they’re addressing energy affordability concerns.

Not everyone in the Senate was on board with Trump’s proposal. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, said the most important solution to high pricing was ending the conflict with Iran.

“The single best thing that can be done to lower gas prices is for him to end this damn war,” Wyden said.