Energy Secretary Chris Wright Just Opened the Door to Suspending the Gas Tax and Democrats Are Furious
Joe Biden promised to suspend the gas tax in 2022 and never did it.
Now Trump's Energy Secretary Chris Wright just said the quiet part out loud.
What he said next has every driver in America paying attention – and every Democrat in Washington reaching for antacids.
Wright Walked Back His Own Promise
In March, Wright went on Meet the Press and told Americans there was a "very good chance" gas would drop below $3 by summer.
The national average now sits at $4.52.
Diesel is $5.65.
That's a 50% increase since the war on Iran began in late February – and no end in sight.
By mid-April, Wright had quietly reversed himself, telling CNN that gas might not drop below $3 "until next year."
Trump publicly disagreed, calling Wright "totally wrong" and insisting prices would fall "as soon as this ends."
The problem is it isn't ending.
Trump rejected Iran's latest counter-offer last week, and Wright admitted Sunday there's no timeline for when the Strait of Hormuz reopens.
"I can't make any predictions about oil prices or gasoline prices," he told Kristen Welker.
That's not a messaging strategy.
That's an administration that doesn't know what's coming next.
The Same Gimmick Obama Already Buried
Here's what makes Wright's gas tax trial balloon so damaging.
When Hillary Clinton and John McCain both proposed suspending the federal gas tax during the 2008 price spike, Obama destroyed them for it – calling it a political move designed to help politicians survive an election, not help families survive the summer.
Obama was right.
The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon.
At $4.52 a gallon, that's barely a rounding error – and Wright himself immediately hedged, telling Meet the Press that "everything has trade-offs," because suspending the tax means raiding the Highway Trust Fund that pays for roads and bridges in every state these voters drive on every day.
Republicans in Congress already face a transportation reauthorization deadline of September 30.
Wright just handed Democrats a talking point they used before and won with – and this time they'll use it against Trump.
Conservative Governors Did What Washington Won't
Republican governors didn't wait for Washington to figure it out.
Indiana's Mike Braun suspended both the state gas sales tax and the excise tax simultaneously – the first Indiana governor to ever do both at once – saving Hoosier drivers 59 cents per gallon.
Georgia's Brian Kemp signed a 60-day suspension of the state's 33-cent gas tax, saving Georgia families nearly $400 million.
These governors acted, used existing authority, and delivered real relief at real pumps.
The contrast with the federal response couldn't be sharper.
California, meanwhile, sits at $6.15 a gallon – driven in large part by the state's 70.9-cent-per-gallon gas tax, the highest in the country, imposed by Socialist Democrats who spent four years lecturing working families about clean energy.
Gavin Newsom has proposed nothing.
Gretchen Whitmer endorsed a federal gas tax suspension while refusing to touch Michigan's own 52.4-cent tax – the sixth-highest in the country.
The party that caused this pain won't fix it, and they're daring Republicans to notice.
The Corner Trump Painted Himself Into
Eighty-one percent of Americans say gas prices are straining their household finances – including 79% of Republicans.
That's not a partisan warning signal.
That's a five-alarm fire six months before the midterms.
Trump ran on energy dominance and promised relief at the pump.
Instead, Americans are staring down $5 diesel heading into summer, and his own Energy Secretary is recycling a gimmick Obama already buried eighteen years ago.
Wright floated an 18-cent solution to a problem that has cost families more than $1.50 per gallon since February.
The war on Iran may be the right call for long-term security in the Middle East.
But voters paying $4.52 at the pump today aren't thinking about long-term security – and an 18-cent tax holiday isn't going to change that conversation.
Conservative governors showed Washington exactly what real leadership looks like.
The question is whether anyone in the administration is watching.
Sources:
- "Energy Secretary Chris Wright Says He 'Can't Make Any Predictions' on Gas Prices," The Hill, May 11, 2026.
- "Energy Secretary Wright 'Can't Predict' When Gas Prices Will Come Down Amid Iran Conflict," The Washington Times, May 10, 2026.
- "Energy Secretary Says Trump Administration Is Open to Suspending Gas Tax Amid Soaring Prices," NBC News, May 11, 2026.
- "Trump Official 'Open' to Gas Tax Suspension Amid Iran Standoff," Axios, May 10, 2026.
- "Indiana Just Suspended Both Its Gas Sales Tax AND Excise Tax," Sales.Tax, May 8, 2026.
- "Georgia Gas Tax Suspension: First State in 2026 to Act," MultiState, April 6, 2026.
- "Obama: Clinton, McCain Wrong on Gas Taxes," NBC News, May 2, 2008.
