Virginia Republicans urge Spanberger to call special session for fuel-tax holiday

Virginia Republican leaders on Tuesday called for Gov. Abigail Spanberger to summon lawmakers to Richmond and suspend the state’s gasoline and diesel taxes for 90 days, arguing that the temporary break would help families, farmers and trucking companies cope with high fuel prices. 

Diesel prices have climbed sharply amid disruptions to global fuel supplies from the war with Iran and other pressures on the international market. 

Gathered at Owens Market Deli and Truck Plaza in Bedford County, Republicans said stronger-than-expected state revenues could replace the money normally collected from the taxes to give residents relief. They want lawmakers to act before the General Assembly returns for its 2027 session in January. 

“Basically, this should be a bipartisan issue,” said House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott. “This is about giving our voters, our constituents, Virginians, a temporary pause in the gas tax, so that life becomes more affordable.”

A Spanberger spokesman said the governor is considering options to provide relief while blaming the increase in fuel prices on President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. 

He said Spanberger is also “assessing all available options to address the extra costs” while “working to create long-term solutions to make the commonwealth more affordable so families can keep more of what they earn.”

Virginia currently taxes gasoline at 32.6 cents per gallon and diesel at 33.6 cents. If the entire cut reached consumers, someone buying 15 gallons of gasoline would save $4.89.

Del. Scott Wyatt, R-Mechanicsville, estimated a 90-day suspension would cost the state about $410 million. He said revenue collections running ahead of projections would give the state room to absorb the loss. 

Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg, said lawmakers could replace the transportation money when they return to Richmond next year. Fuel taxes help pay for road construction and maintenance, so replacing that revenue would be a central part of any legislation.

For Christian Snead, who owns a Bedford County trucking company with 28 vehicles, the immediate concern is what happens every time one of them needs fuel. 

“Fuel is a necessity for us, it’s an operating expense, not something we can live without,” Snead said at the event.

Diesel was posted at $5.99 a gallon at the truck plaza Tuesday. Removing Virginia’s excise tax would reduce that to about $5.65 if the entire savings were passed along to customers. 

Snead said higher fuel costs eat into his company’s margins and eventually show up in the prices customers pay for goods moved by truck. 

“Let’s give businesses the ability to recover,” he said. 

U.S. Rep. John McGuire, R-Goochland, also took a prominent role in Tuesday’s event, defending Trump’s energy policies four weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. 

Asked whether Trump should pursue an end to the war with Iran to help bring down fuel prices, McGuire argued that keeping more American refineries would have left the country less vulnerable to disruptions overseas. 

“Obviously, we all want to find a solution the right way. But in the meantime, let’s give Virginia some relief at the pumps,” he said. 

Kilgore added Virginia lawmakers should focus on what they can do at the state level. “We can’t control what’s going on in Washington or what’s going on in Iran,” he said. 

Tuesday’s event came a day after Trump signed an executive order temporarily allowing broader highway use of red-dyed diesel, which usually is reserved for off-road uses such as agricultural equipment. 

Trump’s order directs federal officials to determine whether applicable federal excise tax payments can be deferred through Dec. 31 without interest or penalties. It also directs officials to explore ways, including legislation, to forgive those deferred taxes. Deferring a tax does not by itself eliminate the obligation to pay it. 

Part of Bedford County falls within the 5th Congressional District, where former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, the Democratic nominee, is trying to unseat McGuire. Republicans have held the seat since Perriello lost reelection in 2010, although its boundaries have changed since. 

A Washington Post-Schar School poll released last week found McGuire leading Perriello 51% to 45% among likely voters in a district that Trump carried by 12 points in 2024. 

McGuire used the appearance to criticize Perriello’s past support of cap-and-trade legislation and Spanberger’s climate policies, arguing that Democratic energy legislation has contributed to higher costs at the pump.

Perriello has also put affordability at the center of his campaign. He told The Mercury last week that ending the Iran war would be among his priorities if elected to Congress. 

Republicans have tried the gas-tax approach before. 

They proposed a similar 90-day holiday in March as fuel prices climbed. Spanberger responded at the time by blaming Trump’s decision to launch the war with Iran, saying Virginians were “feeling the brunt of the president’s actions at the pump and grocery store.” 

Republicans returned Tuesday to Spanberger’s own emphasis on affordability, arguing that suspending the gas tax would give consumers some immediate relief. 

Kilgore said the differences in fuel taxes among neighboring states are particularly noticeable in Southwest Virginia, where drivers can easily cross state lines to refill their tanks. 

Other states are considering or have already taken similar steps. Georgia suspended its motor fuel excise taxes from Sept. 29 through Oct. 29. Lawmakers in North Carolina plan to return for a special session Wednesday to consider fuel-tax relief.