This week President Biden endorsed Congressional action to suspend the federal gas tax for three months following Senator Reverend Warnock’s long push to provide relief to Georgians at the pump 

Senator Reverend Warnock to Augusta WFXG: “This is a temporary response to an extraordinary situation”

Senator Reverend Warnock to CBS46: “If you’re the person standing at the pump, you don’t care why we’re having those issues, you just want somebody to fix it”

Senator Reverend Warnock in the AJC: “Now that President Biden is on board, it’s time for Congress to move urgently to pass my legislation that will help Georgians keep even more money in their pockets while also holding greedy oil companies accountable”

Washington, D.C. — Last week, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock’s (D-GA) months-long push to lower gas costs for hardworking families gained momentum in Washington, as President Biden came out in support of the Senator’s effort to pass federal gas tax holiday legislation. On Wednesday, the President called on Congress to pass legislation that will provide relief to Georgians and Americans at the gas pump by suspending the federal gas tax for three months.

See more coverage of President Biden’s endorsement of Senator Warnock’s efforts below:

WFXG: Senator Warnock calls on lawmakers to take action to lower gas prices

June 22, 2022

• “Democratic Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock spoke out Wednesday after President Biden joined him in calls to suspend the federal gas tax.” 

• “‘This is a temporary response to an extraordinary situation,’ Warnock tells FOX54. Warnock introduced legislation in February that would waive federal gas taxes until the end of 2022.”

• “Critics of gas tax suspension legislation say there isn’t evidence that the savings would then be passed along to consumers. Senator Warnock says that is built directly into the legislation that he has introduced. ‘Part of what this legislation does is it directs treasury to ensure that these oil and gas companies are passing the savings on to consumers rather than pocketing them,’ he says.”

• “In addition to suspending the federal gas tax and requiring the tax savings to be passed along to consumers, the Gas Prices Relief Act would also direct the Treasury Department to transfer funds to the Highway Trust Fund to make sure that fund remains intact .”

CBS 46: Georgia Sen. Warnock talks about federal gas tax relief plan

June 22, 2022

• “Warnock has been pushing for the suspension of the federal gas tax since early February. He has been proposing a similar act to provide relief at the pump.”

• [Senator Warnock:] “If you’re the person standing at the pump, you don’t care why we’re having those issues, you just want somebody to fix it,”

• [Senator Warnock:] “People shouldn’t have to choose between buying groceries and gas.”

AJC: Biden backs suspension of federal gas tax, boosting Warnock proposal

June 22, 2022

• “President Joe Biden is advocating for a three-month halt on collecting the 18-cents-a-gallon federal gas tax, lending his support to a plan that U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and others first proposed in February.”

• “Warnock said Wednesday that he was glad the president ‘finally’ endorsed the bill.”

• “’Now that President Biden is on board, it’s time for Congress to move urgently to pass my legislation that will help Georgians keep even more money in their pockets while also holding greedy oil companies accountable,’ Warnock said in a statement. ‘We can’t act fast enough to help Georgians save more of their hard-earned dollars.’”

In February, Senator Warnock introduced the Gas Prices Relief Act with several of his Senate colleagues, which would lower high gas prices by temporarily suspending the federal gas tax through the end of the year. The bill also would ensure that any savings get passed on to consumers—not pocketed by wealthy oil companies—and that the Treasury Department protects the Highway Trust Fund from lost revenue. In addition to introducing his legislation to lower the price of gas by 18 cents a gallon, Senator Warnock has also successfully pressured the White House to immediately increase scrutiny of big oil companies for making record profits while Georgians are paying record profits, and cosponsored legislation to hold oil companies accountable for their windfall profits on the backs of Georgia consumers.

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