Talarico Touts Trump Plug for Gas Tax Plan
that Dems' Senate Nominee Pitched in April
Capitol Inside
May 11, 2026
Austin State Rep. James Talarico gave President Donald Trump a rare thumbs up on Monday for his pitch to suspend the federal gasoline tax as a move that the Democrats' U.S. Senate nominee in Texas championed initially several weeks earlier as a way to curtail record prices at the pump.
Talarico seized swiftly on the opportunity that the Republican president created for a fledgling U.S. Senate bid with a statement that commended Trump's push to lift the gas tax and challenged U.S. Senator John Cornyn to get on board with the proposal that the Democrat floated in April.
After expressing reservations about the proposal when Talarico raised the subject last month, Cornyn said he could get behind the suspension of the federal gas tax on a temporary basis after the president pitched his support behind it at a meeting in the Oval Office today.
But the Democratic Senate contender did not mention Attorney General Ken Paxton in the comments that he post on X about the plan. Paxton is dueling Cornyn for the GOP nomination in a March 26 primary runoff in the Texas Senate race.
Talarico has called for the federal government to suspend the gasoline tax that currently adds 18.4 cents to every gallon and the tax on diesel that's set at 24.4 cents per gallon. The timing of Trump's plug for the proposal was the latest inadvertent gift for the Democrat's campaign from the Republicans in the past few months.
“I applaud President Trump’s support for a federal gas tax suspension,” Talarico said. “Lowering prices at the pump should be a bipartisan commitment. I urge Senator Cornyn to drop his opposition to suspending the gas tax. He should join President Trump and me in supporting this critical tax relief for Texans.”
Trump predicted that that fuel prices would plunge when the U.S. is no longer at war with Iran. "Yeah ... as soon as Iran is over, you're gonna see oil and gas drop LIKE A ROCK," the president said. But Trump gave no hints on when that might be.
"I'm going to reduce (the tax), let me tell you, as soon as this is over with Iran," Trump added. "As soon as it's over, you're going to see gasoline and oil drop."
more to come ...
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