拜登总统周三呼吁国会暂停征收联邦汽油税三个月，并要求各州暂停征收自己的汽油税或向消费者提供相应的救济。
联邦政府对每加仑汽油征收18.4%的税，对每加仑柴油征收24.4%的税。白宫表示，暂停征税三个月至9月底，将耗资约100亿美元。
拜登在南法院礼堂发表的讲话中说:“我完全理解，单靠汽油税假期不会解决问题。”。“但这将为家庭提供一些即时的缓解，只是一点点喘息的空间，因为我们将继续努力长期降低价格。”
但是这个想法可能不会得到拜登所期望的国会议员的接受。
众议院议长南希·佩洛西在拜登宣布后发表的一份声明中对这个问题不置可否。“我们将看到众议院和参议院对总统提案的前进道路的共识，”声明说。
弗吉尼亚州民主党参议员乔·曼钦(Joe Manchin)周三告诉美国广播公司(ABC)新闻，截至目前，他没有投赞成票。
“现在，这样做并给预算增加另一个漏洞是我非常关心的事情，人们需要明白18美分不会是一刀切的——你永远不会看到18美分的价格一分一分地下降，”曼钦说。
拜登特别呼吁公司确保这些节省下来的“每一分钱”都传递给消费者。
“现在不是牟取暴利的时候，”他说。
拜登周三还呼吁汽车业利用利润提炼更多的石油和汽油，并降低零售价格。
拜登说:“我对经营加油站和制定油价的公司的信息很简单:这是一个战争、全球危机和乌克兰的时代。”“现在不是正常时期。降低你在加油站收取的价格，以反映你现在为产品支付的成本。现在就做，今天就做。你的顾客，美国人民，他们现在需要救济。”
政府一直在向石油公司施加公众压力，要求他们在经济困难时期帮助美国人。
另一名政府高级官员告诉记者，“公司当然欠股东的，但他们真的需要欠客户、邻居和公民的，就像本届政府正在做的那样。”。“我们希望这些公司的首席执行官们也能发扬这种精神。”
能源部长詹妮弗·格兰霍姆(Jennifer Granholm)定于周四会见石油公司高管，期间他们将向高管施压，以确保如果汽油税假期生效，他们将把节省下来的费用转嫁出去。
“我们鼓励这些石油和天然气公司投资，帮助他们的同胞，帮助他们自己的工人，”格兰霍尔姆在白宫每日新闻发布会上对记者说。“我们需要他们来谈判。”
当被问及立法者明显缺乏对汽油税假期的支持时，格兰霍姆说，将会有持续的讨论。
她说:“我希望两党都能倾听选民的呼声，让他们松一口气。”。“我认为公民将是房间里最大的声音。”
周三，拜登还呼吁州政府和地方政府通过暂停州汽油税或提供其他补救措施来为美国人提供“救济”，如推迟计划中的税费增加，甚至是消费者折扣或救济款项。
根据美国国家石油管理局的数据，各州汽油税平均约为每加仑31美分美国能源情报署。
宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院的研究人员最近找到马里兰州、佐治亚州和康涅狄格州暂停汽油税，事实上，“主要是在免税期的某个时候以较低的汽油价格形式转移给了消费者”，但较低的价格“往往不会在整个假期持续下去。”
在马里兰州，72%的税收节省被转嫁给了消费者;在佐治亚州，58-65%是，在康涅狄格州，71-87%是分析。
当被问及拜登为什么希望联邦税暂停三个月时，这位官员说，总统希望平衡“我们所处的独特时刻”——特别是在夏季驾驶季节——的需要，以及税收为政府支付高速公路和其他交通项目提供重要收入的事实。
“暂停的目的，”该官员说，“实际上是为了应对我们所处的独特时刻，特别关注夏季驾驶季节和家庭现在在加油站感受到的痛苦，同时认识到，从长远来看，汽油税是联邦基础设施的重要收入来源。”
汽油税收入归联邦政府的高速公路信托基金所有，该基金为政府在高速公路和公共交通上的大部分支出提供资金。
拜登表示，他的提议不会影响高速公路信托基金，一名政府官员此前告诉记者，国会可以用“其他收入”来填补100亿美元的缺口。
“我向你们保证，我会尽一切可能降低能源价格和天然气价格，”总统说。
Biden calls on Congress, states to suspend gas taxes
President Biden on Wednesday called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for three months and asked states to suspend their own gas taxes or provide commensurate relief to consumers.
The federal government charges an 18.4-cent tax per gallon of gasoline and a 24.4-cent tax per gallon of diesel. Suspending the tax for three months -- through the end of September, will cost about $10 billion, the White House said.
"I fully understand that the gas tax holiday alone is not going to fix the problem," Biden said in remarks delivered from the South Court Auditorium. "But it will provide families some immediate relief, just a little bit of breathing room, as we continue working to bring down prices for the long haul."
But the idea may not get the reception Biden is looking for from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was noncommittal on the issue in a statement she released after Biden's announcement. "We will see where the consensus lies on a path forward for the President’s proposal in the House and the Senate," the statement read.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told ABC News on Wednesday that he's not on a "yes" vote as of now.
"Now, to do that and put another hole into the budget is something that is very concerning to me, and people need to understand that 18 cents is not going to be straight across the board -- it never has been that you'll see in 18 cents exactly penny-for-penny come off of that price," Manchin said.
Biden specifically called on companies to make sure that "every penny" of those savings are passed through to consumers.
"This is no time for profiteering," he said.
Biden on Wednesday also called on the industry to use profits to refine more oil and gasoline and lower prices at the pump.
"My message is simple to the companies running gas stations and setting those prices at the pump: this is a time of war, global peril, Ukraine," Biden said. "These are not normal times. Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you are paying for the product to it now. Do it now, do it today. Your customers, the American people, they need relief now."
The administration has been putting public pressure on oil companies to help Americans at a time of financial need.
"Companies, of course, are beholden to their shareholders, but they really need to be beholden and conscious of customers, and their fellow neighbors, and their fellow citizens, just like this administration's doing," another senior administration official told reporters. "And we hope that that's the spirit that CEOs of these companies will take."
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is scheduled to meet with oil company executives Thursday, during which they will press executives to ensure they'll pass on the savings if the gas tax holiday is enacted.
"We are encouraging these oil and gas companies to invest, to help their fellow citizens, to help their own workers," Granholm told reporters at the daily White House press briefing. "We need them to come to the table."
When asked about the apparent lack of support for the gas tax holiday from lawmakers, Granholm said there will be ongoing discussions.
"I would hope that both sides of the aisle are listening to their constituents about getting relief," she said. "I think the citizens will be the loudest voice in the room."
On Wednesday, Biden also called on state and local governments to provide "relief" to Americans by suspending their state gas taxes or provide other remedies, like delaying planned tax and fee increases, or even consumer rebates or relief payments.
State gas taxes average about 31 cents per gallon of gasoline, according to theU.S. Energy Information Administration.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School recentlyfoundthat the suspension of gas taxes in Maryland, Georgia and Connecticut were, in fact, "mostly passed onto consumers at some point during the tax holiday in the form of lower gas prices," but that the lower prices "were often not sustained during the entire holiday."
In Maryland, 72% of the tax savings were passed on to consumers; in Georgia, 58-65% were, and in Connecticut, 71-87% were, according to theiranalysis.
When asked why Biden wants the federal tax suspended for three months specifically, the official said the president wanted to balance the need of "the unique moment that we're in" -- particularly during the summer driving season -- with the fact that the tax provides important revenue for the government to pay for highways and other transportation projects.
"The purpose of this suspension," the official said, "is really to address the unique moment that we're in, and with a particular focus on the summer driving season and the pain that families are feeling at the pump right now, while recognizing that on a longer-term basis, the gas tax is an important source of revenue for federal infrastructure."
The gas tax revenue goes to the federal government's Highway Trust Fund, which provides for much of the government's spending on highways and mass transit.
Biden said his proposal wouldn't affect the Highway Trust Fund, and an administration official previously told reporters that Congress can fill in the $10 billion gap with "other revenues."
"I promise you I'm doing everything possible to bring the price of energy down, gas prices down," the president said.
