White House denies Biden open to gas tax to pay for infrastructure plan

The White House denied Monday that President Biden supports the implementation of a higher "gas tax" after the concept arose during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to discuss his $2.3 trillion spending package on infrastructure and other policy initiatives.

Biden discussed potential methods of paying for the expansive spending plan during the meeting with eight lawmakers. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ), one of the lawmakers in attendance, said Biden signaled openness to the possibility of a gas tax to help cover the cost, the Wall Street Journal reported.

A senior administration official confirmed that Biden discussed the gas tax during the meeting. However, the official said Biden noted the gas tax wouldn’t "dent the cost" of the bill enough to justify its implementation.

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"He mentioned this in the meeting to point out that it doesn’t raise money and why he’s not for it," the senior administration official said.

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Biden has called for an overhaul of the corporate tax structure to pay for his spending plan. The president’s proposal would increase the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%, among other changes. White House officials say the plan would effectively offset the cost of his infrastructure package over a 15-year span.

In March, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested the White House could consider a vehicle mileage tax as part of an effort to pay for the package. However, he later clarified that the tax was not being considered at present.

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Biden has remained adamant that his proposed tax hikes would not affect any Americans earning less than $400,000 per year.

Fox News' Kristin Fisher contributed to this report.