Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican who has long clashed with Donald Trump, declared a state of emergency as fuel prices surge, with the Iran war contributing to pressure at the pump.
Kemp signed an executive order late Monday temporarily suspending Georgia’s motor fuel excise tax.
The governor said the move is designed to ease the burden of sharply rising gasoline and diesel prices. Trump famously lashed out at Kemp in 2020 after Georgia certified Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
Although Kemp is not seeking reelection this year, Georgia Republicans are working to hold the governor’s mansion in November and have continued to trail in the state’s US Senate race.
The tax suspension amounts to a savings of 33 cents per gallon on regular gasoline and 37 cents per gallon on diesel, according to the governor’s office.
Kemp’s order also lifts weight restrictions on commercial vehicles. His office said the change could help lower transportation costs and, in turn, reduce prices for everyday products sold in grocery stores.
AAA puts Georgia’s average price for regular gasoline at $4.19 per gallon. Diesel is averaging $6.24.
At the same point last year, regular gasoline in Georgia averaged $2.87 per gallon, while diesel cost about $3.54.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a longtime Trump rival, has temporarily suspended the state’s gas tax amid “global market volatility” and surging fuel prices
The US blockade of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, along with American and Iranian strikes across the region, has disrupted the global oil supply
New clashes between Russia and Ukraine targeting energy infrastructure have added to fuel-market instability. US diesel prices recently reached a record high
The announcement is the latest effort by a Republican official to cushion voters from economic pain before the midterm elections, which are shaping up to be difficult for the GOP.
As of Tuesday morning, prediction-market data from Kalshi gave Democrats a 63 percent chance of taking control of the Senate and a 92 percent chance of winning the House.
In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff led Republican challenger Mike Collins, a congressman, by more than two points in the RealClearPolitics polling average with 35 days remaining before the midterms.
The contest for Georgia governor, pitting Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms against Republican Rick Jackson, is considered too close to call.
The gas-tax relief could help improve Republican standing among voters who have grown increasingly focused on the economy, fuel costs and the consequences of the Iran war.
Ossoff has spent months criticizing Trump and Republicans over rising fuel prices and the cost of everyday goods, making inflation a central vulnerability for the party.
A year earlier, regular gasoline in Georgia averaged $2.87 per gallon, while diesel was priced at $3.54
The order removes weight limits for commercial vehicles, a step the governor’s office says could help cut the cost of goods delivered to grocery stores
Trump renewed his promise over the weekend that gasoline prices would begin falling “soon.”
‘[It] will come dropping down as soon as Iran gives up, as soon as the war is over, which will be soon,’ the president said.
He has repeatedly suggested that once the midterm elections are over, Iran will be more amenable to negotiations to end the war, and that once it does, the prices will drop.
By the president’s own estimate, voters can expect to be paying increased prices at least through early November, and perhaps much longer.
