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Numbers of the Day May 11, 2026 · 6:12 pm ET Source: NYT Politics

Congress Holds the Pump, Not the President

18.4¢
per gallon — the federal gas tax Trump wants Congress to waive

The ask lands on Capitol Hill, not at a pump. A gas tax suspension requires an act of Congress — Article I authority — and even a full waiver of the federal 18.4-cent-per-gallon excise tax would not offset the price spike driven by the war. That's the tell: this is a blame-shift play, not an energy policy. If Congress moves, Trump claims credit. If Congress stalls, he has a midterm villain. The number that matters isn't 18 cents — it's however many swing-district House members are now on the record.

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