Raising fuel tax would be political suicide for Dems, says analyst

Raising fuel tax would be political suicide for Dems, says analyst

A conservative economic policy group is urging lawmakers to reject an increase in the federal gasoline tax.

In the wake of the deadly bridge collapse in Minnesota, House Democrats and a few of their Republican colleagues are calling for a five-cent-per-gallon hike in the federal gas tax, with revenues going to bridge repair across the nation. The chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-Minnesota), has made such a proposal. But Andy Roth, director of government affairs at the Club for Growth, says raising the federal gas tax is politically a "non-starter," noting a recent CNN poll showed 65 percent of the nation opposes the idea, including 57 percent of Minnesotans.

Roth predicts there will be "a lot of blue-dog Democrats and freshman Democrats who are in red districts" saying "please, please, don't make me vote on this because I'm vulnerable and I can't afford to have this as an issue next year in an election year.'"

He adds that "if they're smart -- and that's always up in the air -- they probably won't try and even propose it."

President Bush says if Congress eliminates earmarks, it would be able to pay for bridges and infrastructure without a tax hike. Likewise, Roth says if Congress wants to rebuild bridges and infrastructure, it needs to put an end to its "six-year spending binge."

"The House side," notes Roth, "has just passed a huge budget [that] includes scores upon scores of pork projects like bike trails and teapot museums and all these different things. We should not be spending money on those [types of things] and [should] use that money for bridge inspection, if anything."

The Club for Growth recently released its "RePORK Card" detailing how every member of the House has voted on 50 separate earmarks that were brought up as amendments to the appropriations process. Democrats on average got a two percent score when it came to voting against pork; Republicans received a 43 percent score, also a failing grade.

The group Citizens Against Government Waste recently named Congressman Oberstar its "Porker of the Month" for his proposed gas tax increase.