In a sign of an uphill climb for Biden, moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told CNN’s Manu Raju Tuesday evening that he’s “a little skeptical” of the gas tax holiday that Biden plans to embrace, saying “there’s no guarantee” it will reduce gas prices.
Democratic Whip Sen. Duck Durbin of Illinois told CNN Wednesday he’s supportive of the proposal, but he warned that the administration and Congress needed to be “honest” about the effects it would actually have in effectively driving down the cost of gas. He also warned it could affect infrastructure funding, which the federal gas tax supports.
Those most likely to rally behind the political ploy are vulnerable Democrats facing reelection this fall who are taking a beating with voters over the inflated gas prices, among other troubling economic news.
Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Mark Kelly of Arizona — facing heated reelection bids in swing states — introduced a bill to suspend the federal gas tax back in February, but Senate Democratic leadership hasn’t made any moves to advance the measure.