Rogers' Gas Tax Flip-Flop: Candidate Seeks Suspension After Backing Industry Interests

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers has called for suspending state and federal gas taxes, citing rising fuel costs as a major burden on working families. However, this proposal stands in stark contrast to Rogers' past positions.

In the past, Rogers voted to raise Michigan's gas tax, warning that suspending it might not lower prices. As a state senator, he cautioned against relying solely on gas-tax suspensions to reduce fuel costs, stating 'there is no guarantee that if state leaders suspend the gas tax that prices consumers pay at the pump will go down.'

Rogers has also received significant financial support from the oil and gas industry during his campaigns. He voted against the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act in 2008, which would have allowed the government to punish sellers for 'unconscionably excessive' fuel prices.

The war with Iran is a major factor contributing to rising energy costs, with federal analysts attributing inflation caused by reduced oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump has defended the higher prices as a 'very inexpensive price to pay for what we've done.'