US Rep. Stutzman says federal government not in position to suspend gas tax

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman on Friday said he supports the suspension of Indiana’s gas tax but the federal government’s finances don’t allow it to do the same.

Democrats in Congress have introduced legislation to suspend the federal gas tax, currently 18.4 cents per gallon, until Oct.1. In an interview with News 8 for “All INdiana Politics,” Stutzman, an Indiana Republican, said doing so would jeopardize road funding and infrastructure projects. He said he supports Gov. Mike Braun’s decision to suspend Indiana’s use tax on gasoline, also called the sales tax, which is currently 17.2 cents per gallon. Braun’s order does not affect the separate excise tax Indiana charges on gasoline and does not apply to diesel fuel.

“Washington doesn’t have a surplus, unlike Indiana,” Stutzman said. “So, I think Gov. Braun has more flexibility because he has his budget in balance.”

Stutzman said he does not believe the war with Iran will end with that country still able to block the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean through which one-fifth of the world’s oil travels. He said he believes the country’s new leadership is more willing to make a deal than they are claiming publicly. Current Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is considered to be more hardline than his father and predecessor, Ali Khamanei, but Stutzman said to pay attention to what...