So apparently there is talk of raising the federal gas tax in Washington. Well, at least one person is chattering.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) has introduced legislation that calls for a 15-cent increase in the 18.4-cent-per-gallon national gas tax. The measure matches what was outlined in the Simpson-Bowles budget reform.
The last time the federal gas tax was increased was 1993, and the current tax brings in about $35 billion a year. MAP-21 funds road and bridge work at $54 billion, with a chunk of the money coming from the federal general fund.
Blumenauer is expected to officially make his call for an increase in the federal gas tax on Dec. 4, and will most likely face heavy resistance from a Congress that has quickly rejected any such notion in the past.
