Marylanders react to President Trump seeking federal gas tax suspension

MARYLAND (WBFF) — Oil prices continue to climb amid uncertainty over a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.

The latest Iranian proposal to end the conflict demanded control over the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained effectively closed for 10 weeks, blocking a significant share of the world’s oil exports.

ALSO READ | Trump pushes gas tax holiday amid fuel crunch, voter backlash

To provide some relief, President Donald Trump is now saying he wants to suspend the federal gas tax.

“Until it’s appropriate, yeah, till it’s appropriate,” President Trump said.

It’s a small percentage, but it’s, you know, it’s still money.”

The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon.

This proposal would require approval from Congress, a step that lawmakers have declined to take in the past.

The same can be said for Maryland, where a proposed 30-day gas tax holiday didn’t make it into the fiscal year 2027 budget.

Some state leaders said that although the idea was tempting, the gas tax is roughly a quarter of all revenue that comes in for transportation projects.

“While all of us are dealing with these higher costs, we in the state of Maryland, we still have to fund a transportation system,” Senate President Bill Ferguson said. “And so, to do a gas tax holiday would severely jeopardize the underpinning and infrastructure of our economy that relies on those investments.”

Despite that, Marylanders are feeling the pinch and making pleas for relief.

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), as of Tuesday, gas prices sit at an average of $4.45 per gallon in Maryland. That’s only five cents lower than the national average.

Maryland drivers also pay 46 cents in tax per gallon of gas.

“Maryland’s one of the highest gas tax states in the country, and it goes up every year on the basis of inflation,” Republican Sen. Justin Ready said. “The basic cost of living is so high in Maryland, and every policy we look at, we ought to be looking at any ways that we can relieve burdens, even if it’s a temporary thing in this situation.”