Senate candidate Colom calls for suspending federal gas tax

Oct 08, 2026 | 8:03 am ET

By Taylor Vance

Senate candidate Colom calls for suspending federal gas tax

Photo courtesy of Mississippi Today

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Scott Colom, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, is calling for a temporary suspension of the federal 18.4-cents-a-gallon gasoline tax as fuel prices continue to climb.

“Mississippi families are watching their gas and grocery costs increase while their paychecks stay the same, all while healthcare becomes more expensive and inaccessible because of Cindy Hyde-Smith,” Colom said in a statement, referring to the Republican incumbent.

Any suspension of the federal gasoline tax would require an act of Congress, and a president cannot unilaterally suspend the federal tax.

Colom’s announcement comes after Gov. Tate Reeves on Tuesday said that Mississippi would not enforce prohibitions against using un-taxed diesel meant for farm equipment in highway transport trucks, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to try to lower the soaring cost of diesel.

Colom also aired a new ad on Wednesday as part of a seven-figure ad campaign, highlighting rising fuel and goods costs and advocating a raise to the federal minimum wage.

Jake Monssen, Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s campaign manager, said in a statement that Colom’s latest proposal was “another gimmicky slogan from losing candidate Scott Colom.”

“If he cared about higher prices, he would have supported making the Trump tax cuts permanent, which allowed 97% of filers to keep more of their hard-earned money, including reduced taxes on seniors and on tips for service industry workers,” Monssen said.