Sen. Brian Jones speaks on election night. Photo by Chris Stone
State Sen. Brian Jones, a Republican not known for praising the other party, said Wednesday California Democrats should copy President Biden’s proposal to temporarily suspend the gasoline tax.
“President Biden gets it, yet the wealthy Democrat Governor Newsom and California Democrat legislative leaders still don’t,” said Jones.
Biden called for a three-month suspension of the federal gasoline tax to combat record prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also urged states to temporarily suspend state fuel taxes, which are often higher than federal rates.
“I fully understand that a gas tax holiday alone is not going to fix the problem but it will provide families some immediate relief, just a little bit of breathing room, as we continue working on bringing down prices for the long haul,” Biden said.
Jones. who represents East County, agreed and said a temporary suspension to help drivers shouldn’t be a partisan issue.
“Today marks the one-year anniversary of California state Senate and Assembly Republicans calling for a state gas tax suspension,” said Jones. “I am encouraged that President Biden has endorsed our efforts and supports suspending the federal gas tax.”
He said that suspending both federal and state gas taxes would cut prices by 70 cents per gallon.