WASHINGTON, D.C. – Casey Askar, the Republican congressional nominee for Florida’s 22nd district, spoke with The Floridian about the economic issues Americans face ahead of the 2026 Midterm election.
The Naples businessman recently announced that upon entering office, he would seek to counter the affordability crisis by filing legislation to cut the existing federal gas taxes.
“So much of our dollars spent at the pump are due to federal taxes,” Askar emphasized, affirming that he will work to abolish or mitigate them.
Askar Asserts His Effort Is Permanent, Not Temporary
Askar’s proposed “Cut the Fuel Tax” measure was announced just a day before Congressman Andy Harris (R-Md.) introduced a bill to suspend the gas tax till the end of 2026.
Askar praised Rep. Harris’ effort but assured that, in office, he will ensure that the tax cut remains permanent.
“I think it’s a good start, but it’s a temporary fix. I want to do a long-term solution,” Askar said. “This is something that I’ve advocated for many years, being in the fuel distribution supply business, and I think that we’re taxed way too high at the pump.”
“We want to see this being a permanent either removal or significant reduction,” Askar concluded.
House lawmakers have less than a day to vote on Rep. Harris’ proposed bill before recess.
The race for control of Congress is nearing its end, and some lawmakers believe that Republicans have had their time and wasted it.
Moskowitz Says Republicans Are Too Late
Recently, incumbent Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) called out Republicans for only pushing messaging bills instead of passing solutions.
“If they wanted to prioritize it, they could’ve prioritized slashing the gas tax, but they didn’t bring it,” Rep. Moskowitz told The Floridian.
If Askar wins, the "America First" Republican can work to fulfill his campaign promise and subvert Rep. Moskowitz's (D-Fla.) argument that Republicans are not helping make Americans' lives easier.
