Written by William Hekman
Once again, Democrats voted against a suspension of the gas tax that has been proposed by Republicans. This was the second time Republicans proposed a suspension, with the vote once again being on party lines. After the vote, a number of Republican legislators vented their frustrations over social media, prompting Democrats to try and defend their vote.
Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong from Bakersfield was one of many who voiced his frustrations with the Democrats, “As Californians are calling for immediate relief at the gas pump, Democrats in Sacramento again continue to ignore the demand for urgent action. The fastest way to provide relief at the gas pump, is to temporarily suspend the gas tax with our state budget surplus.” tweeted Fong. Republican Assembly Leader James Gallagher said that if other states could suspend their gas tax, California can too, “Other states are suspending gas taxes. The result = lower gas prices at the pump. Plain and simple. But Capitol Democrats won’t allow it to happen. Instead of listening to their Republican colleagues, Democrats attacked them. Democrat Assembly Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes tweeted, “Democrats are for providing relief to the people of California. The Republican plan will only bolster oil company profits. Can they really be trusted to lower gas prices?”
Even Democrat staff members joined in. Governor Newsom’s Senior Comms Advisor Anthony York went after Assemblyman Kevin Kiley who introduced the first bill to suspend the gas tax. York claimed the Kiley and Republicans would, “give away millions more to oil companies”. Kiley responded by pointing out that Connecticut suspended their gas tax with unanimous support along with the support of their Democrat Governor. The two would go back and forth on twitter.
Californians are becoming more and more frustrated with Sacramento and the Democrats who consistently shoot down bills that would help Californians in difficult times, and the polling data backs it up. Only 41% of voters approve of the legislature, down from 44% in January.
Photo Cred: Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo
