Gas prices in Arizona hit an all-time high of $4.13 per gallon today. And Arizona television stations are taking notice: “…analysts don’t expect relief anytime soon.”
But Senator Mark Kelly’s only “solution” is a gas tax gimmick that’s merely a political messaging tool. Experts agree Kelly’s bill wouldn’t do a thing to alleviate the pain at the pump his constituents are feeling:
- Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics, said on the gas tax suspension, “None of these ideas so far will help to a meaningful degree, and could do some harm because they could juice up demand at a time supply is constrained by the pandemic and worsen inflation…”
- Michael Feroli, chief economist for JP Morgan Chase, said the proposal “probably wouldn’t affect our inflation outlook.”
- Former Obama Treasury official Gilbert Metcalf said, “the bulk of the tax cut will not be going to consumers…”
- Larry Summers called the idea of a gas tax holiday “short-sighted, ineffective, goofy, and gimmicky.”
- Bill Sullivan of the American Trucking Association said the proposal “seems driven by short-term political interest and poorly targeted to relieve the drivers of fuels and other inflation.”
- Beth Osborne of Transportation for America criticized the proposal as “not a serious attempt.”
- Ed Mortimer of the US Chamber of Commerce called the proposed gas tax holiday a “temporary stunt” because it offers “no promise of actually helping lower prices for consumers or improving the economy.”
- “National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association President and CEO Michael Johnson, meanwhile, called it a ‘gimmick.’”
- Susan Howard of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials said it “isn’t a solution that will have much, if any, impact on consumers.”
Even other Democrats recognize Kelly’s bill is an election-year stunt that is the wrong approach:
- Senator Joe Manchin said that the proposal “just doesn’t make sense.”
- House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio said: “Suspending the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax is not going to give consumers significant relief—if any at all.”
- Senator Mark Warner said he would “be very averse to taking away infrastructure funding even in the short term.”
- Senator Ben Cardin “expressed reservations” about the proposal, saying he would focus “on policies that would lower the cost of living…”
What’s even worse: Kelly has consistently voted in lockstep with Democrats to undermine American energy independence, worsening the crisis by making our country more dependent on exports of oil from Russia and other bad actors:
- In February 2021, Mark Kelly voted against an amendment in favor of approving the Keystone XL pipeline. (S. Con. Res. 5, CQ Vote #32: Adopted 52-48: R 50-0; D 2-46; I 0-2, 2/4/21, Kelly Voted Nay)
- In August 2021, Mark Kelly voted against an amendment to oppose a ban on fracking in the United States. (S. Con. Res. 14, CQ Vote #323: Adopted 57-42: R 49-0; D 7-41; I 1-1, 8/10/21, Kelly Voted Nay)
- In August 2021, Mark Kelly voted against an amendment to prohibit regulatory action that would prohibit or substantially delay new oil and gas, hard rock or critical mineral development, and would require the Interior Department to make additional federal lands available for oil and gas leasing. (S. Con. Res. 14, CQ Vote #320: Rejected 49-50: R 49-0; D 0-48; I 0-2., 8/10/21, Kelly Voted Nay)
“Today Arizonans filling up their tanks are watching the bill tick up higher than it’s ever been – and they have Mark Kelly to thank. Kelly’s far-left anti-American energy policy is driving up prices by undermining domestic energy production while putting us at the mercy of Russia, Venezuela, and the Middle East.” -SLF Communications Director Jack Pandol