Rep. Jeffries announces House plans to work on bill to lower gas prices, does not rule out gas tax holiday
The chair of the House Democratic Caucus said he hopes to have something 'over the next few weeks'
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., announced Wednesday that the House will work on legislation to address high gas prices, and "the sooner the better."
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus addressed the need to tackle that part of the inflation problem that has been impacting the nation.
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"You know, we're going to continue to act with urgency to meet the moment, to address the needs of the American people," Jeffries said. ""We understand that gas prices hit American families hard. It's it's a day to day or week to week, certainly a month to month expense. And it's going to require a comprehensive response.
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That response, he said, "is in the works." While he did not give an exact timeline, Jeffries said he hopes to have something in the near future.
"The sooner we can get it done the better, hopefully over the next few weeks," he said.
Regarding the specifics of what Democrats hope to achieve, Jeffries was asked about whether a federal gas tax holiday is on the table.
"It's part of the discussion and that discussion is ongoing," Jeffries said. He later noted that "with respect to the effort to lower gas prices, nothing has been ruled in and nothing has been ruled out."
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Jeffries also said that Democrats plan "to try to address the geopolitical issues that relate to gas prices being where they are."
The Democratic leader also took a shot at oil companies, claiming that they can do more to help the situation.
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"It would be a useful thing if the oil companies made a decision to actually lean in on the permits that they currently have to do something about the supply and demand challenges instead of being more concerned with rewarding their shareholders, lining their pockets to the detriment of everyday Americans and the American consumer," he said.
Still, Jeffries did not just point fingers, he also said that "we're going to act" in some way.
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"I don't think a decision has been made in terms of which of the many different legislative proposals is the right way to go. But this is an issue that was featured prominently in our leadership meeting yesterday and featured prominently in our discussion before the caucus" he said.