President Trump considers temporary suspension of federal gas tax

Añadido: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Good evening. I'm Pat [music] Harvey.

[00:00:02]I'm Rudabeh Shahbazi.

[00:00:03]With gas prices on the rise, President Trump today saying he wants to lift the federal tax on gas, but that's just one layer. Yes, California has the highest state gas taxes in the country, adding more than 70 cents a gallon. And now the punishing spike in fuel costs has many residents asking if the cost is worth it. AAA says the price of regular gas in LA County is now $6.23 a gallon. That's up 5 cents from last week, and we are quickly approaching the all-time record of $6.49 sent set in October of 2022.

[00:00:39]So, can we expect any relief at the pump from gas taxes? Well, CBS LA's Lesley Marin is live with the very latest.

[00:00:47]Lesley.

[00:00:50]That is the question everyone wants an answer to. Pat and Rudabeh can tell you if we do see some relief, it may not be as great as other states will see. Here in Corona, you can see prices do remain high even in the Inland Empire with this Chevron station, a price of regular gallon of gas still remains at $6.59 tonight.

[00:01:13]I know it was like 650 last time I was here, now it's almost 7. The price at the pump just keeps going up. For some super commuters in the Inland Empire, it's costing hundreds to fill up weekly.

[00:01:24]Weekly, probably four 400 500 dollars.

[00:01:28]But could relief be on the way? On Monday, President Trump said he wants to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax, telling CBS News, "I think it's a great idea. 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."

[00:01:44]He'll need the backing of Congress first, but economist and UC Berkeley professor Severin Borenstein says, "We in California may not feel that relief."

[00:01:54]The federal gas tax waiver would make a bit of a dent, but California prices are even higher than the rest of the country. So, I think drivers would be even less likely to notice it.

[00:02:06]California drivers continue to pay the highest per gallon nationally, thanks to a state gas tax and fees that amount to nearly 70 cents. All the money goes back to repair roads and infrastructure. In Sacramento, there is a growing pressure to temporarily pause the state's gas tax. But the governor says he won't support it. And one proposed legislation has already failed. If we pause the gas tax, we are losing a huge amount of money. Just on gasoline, we'd be losing around $25 million a day. And if you add in diesel, it'd be over $30 a day that the state would be losing. So, that's a lot of funding for roads and infrastructure. For drivers, filling up means cutting back on other things.

[00:02:50]Playtime.

[00:02:52]Yeah.

[00:02:53]Going out and going doing things with the family or whatever. I'm working for my food and for my gas. According to Bornstein, the best predictor of what will happen with prices at the pump.

[00:03:04]>> The biggest predictor is clearly the war. If we settle this war and the Strait of Hormuz opens, and we go back to normal shipping, the price of oil is going to drop a lot.

[00:03:20]Well, Bornstein says the one thing that drivers should be doing right now is shopping around for gas. He says here in the state of California, we have gas stations with a lot of different varieties when it comes to prices. So, what you may be paying at one gas station may be a bit cheaper if you just drive a block away. Reporting live in Corona, Leslie Medina, CBS LA. Leslie, thank you.