President Trump said he is considering a federal gas tax suspension to ease pump prices after multiple states already moved to cut their own fuel levies ahead of the midterms.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said he is looking at suspending the federal gas tax as part of a broader push to lower energy costs. “We’re thinking about that,” he told reporters.

The federal levy adds 18.4 cents to every gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel. That money finances highway and bridge maintenance. Any suspension would require Congress to act, and neither the House nor the Senate is scheduled to return until after the election.

Drivers are still paying far more than a year ago. Gasoline is averaging $4.37 a gallon, up from $3.13 last year. Diesel sits at $6.32 a gallon, down from an all-time high of $6.53 on Sept. 22 but nearly double the $3.68 paid a year earlier, according to AAA data.

Those jumps followed the Iran war and Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries. Trump has been working to bring energy costs down in the run-up to the midterms, including through reserve releases and regulatory relief for truckers.

Governors already cut state fuel taxes

Republican and Democratic governors moved first. Both parties passed temporary waivers of state gas taxes or eased limits on “red dye” diesel and ethanol blends.

Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation waiving the state’s 38.5-cent gas tax and 47-cent diesel tax through Dec. 31. Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp suspended his state’s 33.3-cent gas tax and 37.3-cent diesel tax through at least Oct. 29.

Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun suspended a 7% gasoline use tax and a 37-cent excise tax, saving drivers roughly 59 to 61 cents per gallon. He left a 63-cent diesel tax in place and expanded access to red-dye fuel. Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox lowered state levies by 6 cents through year’s end. Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear paused automatic inflation adjustments to fuel taxes.

Those state steps came as Trump also weighed diesel supply options that hit truckers and farmers hardest at the pump.

White House pairs tax talk with diesel relief

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order allowing truckers to buy tax-free “red dye” diesel through Dec. 31. That fuel is typically reserved for tractors and construction equipment. The order opens it more broadly for highway use through the end of the year.

The Washington Examiner reported that Trump, asked in the Oval Office about suspending the federal tax, said, “Yeah, I’m going to reduce.” That sharper formulation tracks the same cost-cutting goal as his Tuesday White House remarks.

"Yeah, I’m going to reduce."

Friday’s G-7 agreement added supply pressure from the other direction. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan joined in a collective release of 100 million barrels of oil and diesel from strategic reserves to tamp down prices.

Energy secretary keeps every option open

Energy Secretary Chris Wright framed the tax idea as one tool among many. Wright told reporters the administration is open to suspending the federal gasoline tax while the Iran conflict keeps prices elevated, including through the Strait of Hormuz disruption.

"All measures that can be taken to lower the price at the pump and lower the prices for Americans, this administration is in support of. We are constantly looking for different ideas."

Wright also said the administration is working every day to offset the price rise tied to the Iran fight and remains open to all such ideas. National averages cited in that reporting ran $4.52 to $4.55 a gallon during the spike.

The same Iran pressure has shaped other high-level decisions, including Camp David security huddles on the wider conflict and related threats.

Separately, diplomacy around Tehran has stayed hard-edged, with moves such as expelling Iranian negotiators while strike options remained on the table after the midterms.

Congress holds the final switch

Even with White House interest and state precedents, the federal gas tax does not move on executive order alone. Trump would need the House and Senate back in Washington to pass a suspension. Both chambers remain out until after Election Day.

That timing leaves state waivers and the red-dye diesel order as the near-term relief already in force. The federal tax question sits with lawmakers who are not scheduled to reconvene before voters cast ballots.

Trump has tied the cost fight to the political calendar, including blunt midterm vows on the trail in Ohio, where drivers are already seeing DeWine’s full state tax waiver through December.

Pump prices still sit far above last year’s levels. States acted. The White House opened red-dye diesel and lined up allied reserve releases. A federal gas-tax pause would need Congress, and Congress is not back yet.

Voters feel every cent at the pump. Leaders who clear the path to lower fuel costs earn the credit; those who stall leave the bill with working families.