With gasoline prices rising, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is moving a three-month gas tax holiday in the state's General Assembly.
''Virginians are counting on us to put politics aside and deliver for them,'' Youngkin, a Republican, wrote in a statement Tuesday.
Pausing Virginia's gas tax for three months is expected to use less than $440 million of the $1 billion surplus in the commonwealth's transportation fund, according to the governor's office.
Delegates in the Virginia House Finance Committee affirmed in a procedural vote Tuesday to send the gas tax holiday to the House Appropriations Committee.
''Today's vote was an important step in moving our proposal to lower gas prices for Virginians feeling pain at the pump for too long,'' Youngkin said in a statement. ''We know there's plenty of money available to bring some relief to Virginians now as we head into these busy summer months.''
Similar gas tax holidays in other states have quickly reduced gas prices, which had hit record highs across the U.S. in recent months.
President Joe Biden has blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions that hit the oil production industry worldwide. But Republicans note that gas prices have been rising since Biden took office, over a year before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
''As we saw in Maryland, this proposal would bring quick relief to Virginians struggling with high gas prices,'' Youngkin's statement continued. ''I applaud today's constructive hearing and look forward to working in a bipartisan manner with the General Assembly to help pass this important legislation.''
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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