As our community grapples with soaring gas prices, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) is taking action with new legislation that would provide direct relief at the pump for New Jersey families.
Van Drew's bill would completely eliminate the current federal gas tax of 18.3 cents per gallon for 18 months, with higher suspensions for diesel and aviation fuel. After that period, the tax would "slowly phase back in," according to the South Jersey congressman.
"Americans are paying too much for gas right now, and the federal government can help relieve some of that pressure," Van Drew said in a statement. "My bill would completely suspend the federal fuel taxes for 18 months, so people are no longer paying those extra taxes per gallon every time they fill up their tank."
The proposal follows President Donald Trump's announcement this morning that he wants to pursue a similar gas tax suspension. "We're going to take off the gas tax for a period of time, and when gas goes down, we'll let it phase back in," Trump told CBS News.
The timing couldn't be more critical for New Jersey drivers. Gas prices have skyrocketed from $2.98 per gallon a year ago to $4.53 today, according to AAA's fuel price tracker. That's approaching the $5.06 high-point from the early Biden era, and the pain is being felt across our communities.
The price surge stems from the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which has lasted more than two months. The situation intensified after Iran began blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route that has sent global fuel prices climbing.
Van Drew, Congress's most vocal critic of the Democratic-run New Jersey state government, didn't stop with federal action. He's also calling on Gov. Mikie Sherrill to suspend New Jersey's 49-cents-per-gallon gas tax, which would provide even more substantial relief for drivers in our state.
The proposal does come with tradeoffs. Suspending the federal gas tax would cost the government several billion dollars monthly—funds typically earmarked for road construction and repair projects that our communities depend on.
Democrats have seized on high gas prices as evidence that the Iran conflict needs to end, putting forward repeated congressional resolutions to reassert legislative authority over the war. Van Drew, alongside nearly all of his fellow Republicans, has voted against those resolutions.
Senator Andy Kim captured the human toll last week, recounting a conversation with a constituent: "One woman was telling me about her family's struggles, and she's hearing about all the different things going on with this war, and she turned to me and she said, 'What about us? What are we supposed to do?'"
Kim noted that 40% of Americans can't handle a $400 emergency right now, making the relentless climb in gas prices particularly devastating for families already stretched thin.
For Van Drew's proposal to become reality, it would need to pass both chambers of Congress—a process that could take weeks or months. In the meantime, New Jersey families continue to face difficult choices every time they pull up to the pump.
