Both major party candidates for Iowa’s open U-S Senate seat are calling for steps to ease the price of gasoline and diesel. Democrat Josh Turek says the federal gas tax should be temporarily suspended and exports of U-S produced diesel should be halted.
On Sunday, Grassley suggested an embargo on diesel exports because, Grassley said diesel prices are killing farmers’ income. Turek rolled out his proposals last Wednesday, when diesel prices topped six dollars a gallon in Iowa. Triple A reports diesel is now averaging just over six-dollars-and-31 cents a gallon at Iowa gas stations.
This (Monday) morning, Ashley Hinson — the Republican running for the U-S Senate — posted a statement on social media, saying Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the check-out line for the war in Iran. She’s calling for a suspension of the gas tax, pausing diesel exports and creating a diesel relief program to help farmers and truckers. During a campaign stop in Des Moines this (Monday) morning, Turek told reporters the federal government should provide whatever relief it can to farmers.
Turek has also called for tapping into the country’s strategic oil reserve to boost fuel production as a way to lower prices for consumers. And Hinson is calling for the one-dollar-per-gallon tax credit for biodiesel production that expired in 2024 should be reinstated.
