Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Barack Obama

Is Obama Opposed to the Bipartisan Gas Tax Proposal or Just Noncommittal?

Yesterday, The Huffington Post ran this headline: “White House Appears More Open To A Gas Tax Hike.” Minutes later, The Hill published this one: “White House opposes gas tax hike to fix transportation funding.” So, which is it?

Josh Earnest, on his first day as White House press secretary, said the president "would not support" a gas tax hike. But other officials have softpedaled the question. Photo: ##https://www.facebook.com/topic/White-House-Press-Secretary/108184749201716##Tamara Keith/Facebook##
Josh Earnest, on his first day as White House press secretary, said the president "would not support" a gas tax hike. But other officials have softpedaled the question. Photo: ##https://www.facebook.com/topic/White-House-Press-Secretary/108184749201716##Tamara Keith/Facebook##
Josh Earnest, on his first day as White House press secretary, said the president "would not support" a gas tax hike. But other officials have softpedaled the question. Photo: ##https://www.facebook.com/topic/White-House-Press-Secretary/108184749201716##Tamara Keith/Facebook##

The Hill’s headline was based on a statement by new White House press secretary Josh Earnest, who said about a gas tax increase: "That's something that we've said a couple of times that we wouldn't support.” But HuffPo got a different quote, which gave them a different perspective.

"The Administration has not proposed and has no plans to propose an increase in the gas tax," White House spokesman Matt Lehrich told HuffPo. "It is critical that we pass a bill that not only avoids a short-term funding crisis but provides certainty and lays the groundwork for sustained economic growth. So we appreciate that members on both sides of the aisle continue to recognize the need for a long-term infrastructure bill, and we look forward to continuing to [work] with Congress to get this done."

HuffPo also reports that Ryan Daniels, a Department of Transportation spokesman, said that while the "Department has outlined a plan involving pro-growth business tax reform," it was "open to ideas that Congress comes up with."

Non-committal at best. But, it’s a far cry from Earnest’s claim that the administration “wouldn’t support” a gas tax increase. Earnest made that statement on his first day on the job -- perhaps he overstated the case.

President Obama has come out in support of a convoluted plan to close corporate tax loopholes and repatriate some offshore profits as a means of paying for transportation -- though such a scheme would upend the “user pays” ethic that has undergirded transportation policy for decades and would only pay for a four-year bill.

Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Bob Corker (R-TN) have proposed raising the gas tax by 12 cents over two years and then indexing it to inflation -- a common-sense and realistic idea, muddied somewhat by the fact that they propose to raise $164 billion in new revenues through the gas tax and surrender $190 billion in revenues by permanently extending some tax cuts.

Meanwhile, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) has proposed an upstream oil fee of $6.75 per barrel. Despite the fact that Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has endorsed a similar idea in the past, DeFazio’s plan doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, though one assumes that administration spokespeople would probably give it similar treatment to the other plans: that the president prefers a different option but is open to working with Congress.

Indeed, nothing the administration has said about the gas tax is any friendlier than the administration’s statement about the House Republicans’ idea of offsetting transportation expenditures by limiting Saturday mail delivery. "All along, we've said that if there are other ideas that emerge… we would be willing to consider those ideas,” U.S. DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx said about that plan a few weeks ago. “And I suppose that's where we are."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: The London Neighborhood Where Bikes Outnumber Cars

...and how they got to that impressive milestone.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Battle Galactus

Like the Marvel supervillain, U.S. interstate highway system seems to eat up everything in his path. A new book explores how to stop it.

July 11, 2025

New Report Shows Pedestrian Fatalities Drop — But Experts Say Not Enough

The Governors Highway Safety Association report showed a 4 percent drop in the number of pedestrian deaths last year, putting a slow on a dangerous trend — but advocates say the drop isn't nearly big enough.

July 11, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Localities Subsidize the State DOT

Adie Tomer of Brookings on how to improve regional coordination around infrastructure.

July 10, 2025

Five of the Ugliest Transportation Policies In the ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill

Here's a rundown of some of the transportation provisions in the Republicans' reconciliation package, and what they might mean for your community.

July 10, 2025

Viva La Thursday’s Headlines

Why is French transit ridership up 10 percent since before the pandemic, while American transit ridership is down 23 percent?

July 10, 2025
See all posts