Related: House Members Push for Long-Term Fix for Highway Trust Fund
Is White House Considering Fuel Tax Increase for Infrastructure?
Published reports indicate that the Trump administration may be willing to push for a hike in the fuel tax to help pay for the president's promised $1 trillion in infrastructure investments.

Photo: Jim Park

Photo: Jim Park
Published reports indicate that the Trump administration may be willing to push for a hike in the fuel tax to help pay for the president's promised $1 trillion in infrastructure investments.
President Trump’s economic adviser Gary Cohn told moderate House lawmakers at a private meeting on Wednesday that they'll get a chance to vote on a gas tax hike early next year as part of an infrastructure bill, according to two lawmakers who were present, reports The Hill.
The meeting was with the Problem Solvers Caucus, U.S. Representative Tom Reed, a New York Republican who is co-chairman of the caucus, told Bloomberg.
The fuel tax hasn’t been increased since 1993, and revenue from the federal per-gallon taxes of 18.4 cents on gasoline and 24.4 cents on diesel has declined as vehicles have gotten more fuel efficient. But despite the fact that infrastructure improvement as a general concept seems to have bipartisan support, proposals to raise the fuel tax have faced stiff opposition from congressional Republicans and others loath to raise taxes.
Bloomberg asked House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady about the possibility. “Hm. I’m going to stay focused on tax reform right now,” he said.
Proponents, however, point out that it’s really a user fee rather than a tax.
A survey of 800 registered voters in June showed Americans increasingly view the condition of the nation’s transportation infrastructure as a problem and believe it should be a spending priority, said pollster Neil Newhouse, who authored the survey, to an audience at American Trucking Associations’ annual Management Conference & Exhibition this week. “In September 2014, 61% of Americans opposed this,” Newhouse said. “Now it’s 55% in favor. There is a reason for optimism.”
Earlier this year, President Trump said he was open to the idea in an interview, but the White House press office quickly walked that back.
At the ATA conference, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), said, “We need to be serious” about infrastructure. “The infrastructure paralysis, in terms of funding you’ve seen, is a bipartisan problem.”
The infrastructure plan is reportedly on hold until tax reform is addressed on Capitol Hill. The Trump White House intends to unveil a long-term infrastructure funding plan after Congress completes tax reform, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao told an audience at ATA on Oct. 23.
Originally posted on Automotive Fleet
More Fuel

June Diesel Trends Update
The national average price of a gallon of diesel decreased by 15 cents this week, and all five regions reported lower prices, ranging from just over 10 cents to more than 21 cents cheaper than a week ago.
Read More →
RoadFlex Brings Fuel Tax Compliance & Audit-Ready Reporting to Government Fleets
RoadFlex now offers its capabilities to help public-sector and public works fleets streamline fuel tax exemptions, reclamation, reconciliation, and audit-ready reporting.
Read More →
Fillip Fleet Expands Into U.S. Market With Digital Fuel Card Platform
Fillip Fleet expands into the U.S., bringing digital fuel cards, fleet expense controls, and contactless payments to fleets across North America.
Read More →
3 Benefits of Hydrogen as a Fuel
Hydrogen fuel offers zero harmful emissions, incredible energy density, and flexible production pathways. In this video, we learn from a hydrogen industry insider about the three biggest benefits of hydrogen as a fuel to power commercial vehicles.
Read More →Are You Tracking Your Fleet's True Total Cost of Ownership?
Bobit Business Media surveyed 190 fleet professionals and found that while most fleets are tracking costs, fragmented systems and data gaps are keeping true TCO visibility out of reach. With rising pressure to control spend in an increasingly volatile environment, the gap between what fleets think they know and what the data actually shows is wider than you might expect. See how your peers are managing costs today and where the industry still has room to improve.
Read More →
May Diesel Trends Update
The national average price of a gallon of diesel decreased by more than 7 cents this week, and all five regions reported lower prices, ranging from just over 2 cents to more than 12 cents cheaper than a week ago.
Read More →
How Hydrogen Fuel Is Produced for Fuel Cell Trucks
How is hydrogen produced for fuel cell trucks? Let’s learn more about that as Pajarito Powder CEO Christian Mohrdieck walks us through the process in this video.
Read More →
RoadFlex Launches Mobile App for Drivers and Fleet Managers
RoadFlex has launched its mobile app to give fleet teams a faster, easier way to manage fleet card activity, capture receipts, review transactions, and maintain spend visibility from the field.
Read More →
OptiMile Pro Launches Fuel Planning Platform to Cut Fleet Fuel Spend
OmtiMile Pro’s new software replaces the "fill up when empty" habit with a globally optimized fuel plan that picks the cheapest stop in the fleet's contracted network and the precise amount of fuel to load on every run.
Read More →
April Diesel Trends Update
The national average price of a gallon of diesel dropped by more than 5 cents this week, and all but one region reported price decreases.
Read More →
