The House won't vote on a bill to suspend the gas tax this week because "a big cross section of members" disagree on how best to address the high cost of fuel, Speaker Mike Johnson told Bloomberg Government on Wednesday.
The scheduling choice spurred backlash from Freedom Caucus members who had sought a vote ahead of the midterms to address an issue that's top-of-mind for voters.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) posted on X last night that Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), who leads the House Transportation Committee, "killed" the conservative bill. Members of the hard-right caucus threatened to tank the House agenda on Tuesday but let up after they said leaders promised them a gas tax suspension vote. Higgins wrote in his post that conservatives had planned to bring up their bill for a vote Wednesday.
"We don't have issues with the Freedom Caucus, and it wasn't Sam Graves," Johnson (R-La.) said in response to a question about the tensions, adding that members had different ideas about what to do to bring down the price of gas. Graves' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"There wasn't consensus on which decision to make, and that's why it was done," Johnson added. "So, it's not correct to blame it on any one individual member."
A Republican lawmaker who was at the meeting described it as tense and echoed Johnson's account that no individual member was responsible for the decision. Graves pointed out some Republicans' past opposition to a tax holiday and its effect on project funding, the lawmaker added. The gas tax feeds into the Highway Trust Fund, which is the main source of federal highway and transit funding.
— With assistance from Zach Williams
