A new poll shows that a proposal to pause the federal tax on gasoline to lower pain at the pump amid rising prices is popular across party lines among the American electorate.
The majority of voters, 68%, said in a Morning Consult/Politico survey released Wednesday they would support a suspension of the 18.4-cents-per-gallon tax through the end of 2022. That includes 75% of Democrats, 62% of independents and 65% of Republicans.
The idea is being pushed by a small group of Senate Democrats, several of whom face tough re-election battles this fall. Still, the idea has been met with bipartisan opposition.
Republicans have accused Democrats of promoting legislation that would do little more than offer cover for vulnerable members. Lawmakers from both parties characterize it as shortsighted, say it could largely benefit middlemen and note it would leave a $20 billion deficit in funding for transportation infrastructure projects.
Public support for a gas tax holiday has been historically high, even though attempts at the federal level dating back decades have never succeeded. The expectation is no different from the current proposal.
The push for a tax break comes amid record-high inflation in the U.S. and geopolitical tensions in eastern Ukraine, factors that are predicted to continue increasing gas prices heading into the midterms.
The Morning Consult/Politico poll showed that the majority of respondents, 58%, said they would hold President Biden “very” or “somewhat” responsible if costs at the pump continue to rise as a result of conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The online survey of 2,005 registered voters was conducted Feb. 19-21. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
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