The following is a statement by Marsha Anderson Bomar, Ph.D., President, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE):
WASHINGTON – ASCE strongly opposes the recent proposals from the Trump Administration and some legislators to suspend the current 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gasoline tax for at least 90 days. The primary funding mechanism for the nation’s transportation networks, the gas tax has not changed since 1993, significantly losing its spending power for more than three decades. Despite being insufficient to meet current maintenance and capital improvement costs, the federal motor fuel tax has represented a reliable federal revenue source for communities to fix and modernize their network of roads, bridges, and transit systems.
Suspending the gas tax would result in the loss of billions in revenue from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), significantly diminishing much of the progress made in recent years to improve our nation’s vital infrastructure systems. This also sets a dangerous precedent of suspending critical federal transportation funding when there is volatility at the pump, while providing no guarantee that savings will be passed down to struggling American families.
Gas tax holidays aren’t price controls; the manager at the gas station still sets their own price. Oil producers have benefited significantly from previous state-level gas tax holidays, while consumers saw little to no savings from those same gas tax holidays. With no mechanism to ensure “savings” are passed on to consumers, the only guarantee becomes a significant disruption to transportation dollars and the HTF.
Now is the time for Congress to pass a multi-year surface transportation reauthorization that will fortify long-term transportation investments with reliable funding mechanisms so that families and businesses can be better served by the systems they depend on. Strong transportation networks improve economic growth, save families money, and secure public safety, which is far more impactful to Americans than minimal potential savings at the pump.
About the American Society of Civil Engineers
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 160,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on X (Formerly Twitter), @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.