In a bid for Biden, moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told CNN’s Manu Raju on Tuesday night that he was “a little skeptical” about of the gas tax that Biden plans to embrace, saying that “there is no guarantee” that it will reduce gas prices. And Sen. Tom Carper, a Biden Democrat from Delaware, said in a tweet that he was “glad” Biden was exploring ideas for gas prices, but added that it was a “short-sighted and ineffective way” of providing relief. With Mancin and Carper sounding the opposite, Democrats would also fail if they tried to pass such a measure themselves through a process called reconciliation, which would require only 50 votes to proceed. Illinois Democratic Whip Duck Durbin’s senator told CNN Wednesday he supported the proposal, but warned that the government and Congress needed to be “honest” about the impact it would have on effectively reducing gas costs. He also warned that it could affect infrastructure funding, which is backed by the federal gas tax. Those most likely to rally behind the political ploy are the vulnerable Democrats facing re-election this fall, who are accepting winners with voters for inflated gas prices, among other worrying economic news. Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Mark Kelly of Arizona – who face strong re-election candidacy in the swing states – introduced a bill to suspend the federal gas tax in February, but the leadership of the Democratic Senate has not makes no move to promote the measure. The Senate Democrats were largely reluctant to embrace Biden’s push for a gas tax license. They acknowledged that the president had few options to reduce inflation, but warned that the policy might not work. Some Democrats, however, have been reluctant to pursue politics. Sen. Chris Koons of Delaware, one of Biden’s closest allies in the Senate, said he knew Biden was worried about gas prices, so “I’m willing to accept his proposals for a gas tax break.” He noted, however, that he was not sure if he had the support to go through the Senate. “What I hear from Delaware residents is that the price of the pump is causing a lot of pain to working families,” Coons said. “This is something I know the President is concerned about and he is sensitive and I am willing to accept his proposals for a gas tax holiday. I do not know if he will get the votes he needs here in the Senate, but I am talking to my colleagues about that.” . House Majority Leader Stanley Hoyer told reporters Wednesday that he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have “reservations” about a gas tax holiday. “Pelosi, I, we have all expressed reservations about this,” Hoyer said. “But the President of the United States suggested it. We’ll see.” Hoyer said that while he supports what Biden is trying to do, he is concerned that such a provision would hurt consumers. “The question is, if you reduce the tax, does it stand for the benefit of the consumer? That’s the real key,” Hoyer said. This story has been updated with additional developments on Wednesday.
