Gas prices at more than $6 a gallon are displayed at a Mobil station on May 04, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Gas prices have surged to a national average of $4.45 a gallon, a four-year high, as tensions in the Middle East continue. (Photo by Just …
The Trump administration would consider suspending the federal gas tax to help ease some of the burden faced by U.S. drivers since the beginning of the Iran war, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. However, doing so would only put a dent in the amount that prices have risen since the conflict began in February.
What they're saying:
Wright added the administration is "open to all ideas" when asked whether President Donald Trump would support suspending the tax. The comment came during an appearance on NBC’s "Meet the Press" and Wright framed a possible suspension as something that would be part of a broader effort to alleviate high energy costs.
"We are working every day to offset this rise in prices because of a critical conflict in Iran to drive prices down and we’re open to all such ideas," Wright said.
By the numbers:
The federal gas tax currently stands at 18.4 cents per gallon, according to numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The revenue collected is used to fund highway and infrastructure programs.
After jumping 50 cents in just two weeks, the average price for gas in the U.S. on Sunday sat at $4.52 per gallon, AAA numbers indicated. Subtracting 19 cents from that figure still leaves an average price of $4.33 per gallon.
Two days before the start of the war, AAA pegged the average cost of gas at $2.98 per gallon.
What's next:
Analysts have warned that refinery constraints added to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could push gas prices even higher in the coming months, especially as motorists start to hit the highways for summertime road trips. When asked, Wright repeatedly declined to answer whether he thinks $5 per gallon gas could be around the corner.
"I’m avoiding price predictions," Wright said. "Gasoline and diesel prices are up, and they’ll remain up while this conflict is in place, and then they will come back down, and ultimately they’ll come back down lower than they were before."
Dig deeper:
In her interview, Meet the Press host Kristen Welker noted that several states, including Georgia, Indiana, and Utah, have suspended their state gas tax.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from AAA, U.S. Energy Information Administration, FOX News and NBC News. This story was reported from Orlando.