Sponsors (2)
The bill gives immediate consumer relief at the pump and preserves program funding short‑term by shifting costs to the general fund, trading durable user‑fee funding and fiscal space for temporary lower gas prices and enforcement burdens.
Drivers, commuters, and other fuel consumers pay lower gasoline prices while the federal gasoline excise tax is set to zero through Sept 30, 2026, and the bill requires sellers to reduce retail prices with penalties to deter price‑gouging.
Taxpayers and transportation programs avoid an immediate shortfall because the Treasury must transfer from the general fund amounts equal to lost gasoline excise receipts so the Highway Trust Fund continues receiving expected revenues.
Utilities, energy companies, and communities retain funding for leaking underground storage tank (LUST) cleanup because Treasury must replace lost LUST financing receipts from the general fund.
All taxpayers face higher general‑fund outlays because Treasury replaces lost excise tax receipts with transfers, increasing deficits or crowding out other federal spending.
Transportation users and long‑term infrastructure financing are affected because replacing user‑fee financing with general‑fund transfers weakens the direct link between gasoline consumption and Highway Trust Fund revenue, risking future funding stability.
Middle‑class and low‑income consumers may not immediately see full price reductions if enforcement and pass‑through are delayed or imperfect, reducing the near‑term benefit of the tax suspension.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Suspends the federal gasoline excise tax and LUST surcharge through Sept 30, 2026; Treasury must backfill Highway Trust and LUST Trust Fund receipts and enforce pass-through to lower pump prices.
Suspends the federal excise tax on gasoline and the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) financing surcharge for gasoline sold, removed, or entered from enactment through September 30, 2026, making the tax rate zero for that period. The Treasury must transfer money from the general fund to replace the lost receipts to the Highway Trust Fund and the LUST Trust Fund. The bill states a congressional policy that consumers should immediately get the savings, directs producers and dealers to lower pump prices accordingly, authorizes monetary penalties at least equal to any tax savings not passed through to consumers, and directs the Treasury to enforce pass-through using its available authorities.
Introduced March 9, 2026 by Mark Edward Kelly · Last progress March 9, 2026