Senator Mastriano

PA families cannot afford these high gas prices — plain and simple.

People are working hard every day, yet the cost to fill a tank keeps climbing. For commuters, parents, and small businesses, this isn’t sustainable.

Families deserve real relief, not more strain at the pump.

Families Can’t Wait — Suspend Pennsylvania’s Gas Tax Now
Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33)

A mother in Pennsylvania should not have to choose between filling her gas tank and feeding her children — but that is exactly the reality many families are facing today.

Across our commonwealth, working people are not just noticing higher prices at the pump — they are feeling fear, frustration and financial strain that grows with every gallon purchased. This is not about inconvenience. It is about survival. When fuel prices surge this rapidly, they do more than strain budgets — they threaten livelihoods, disrupt families and punish people who are simply trying to get to work and care for those they love.

Since the outbreak of conflict involving Iran, global oil markets have surged, driving gasoline prices sharply higher across the country and here at home. What was once a manageable expense has become a growing burden families cannot escape. And in Pennsylvania, that burden is made heavier by one of the highest gasoline taxes in the nation — nearly 58 cents per gallon — piling state-imposed costs onto an already worsening crisis.

This is not just an economic issue — it is a moral one.

Government exists to serve the people, especially in moments of crisis. When families are hurting, leadership is not measured by patience or process — it is measured by action. Doing nothing while families struggle is not neutrality. It is a decision — a decision to allow hardship to deepen when relief is possible.

Across Pennsylvania, the impact is being felt everywhere.

For many residents — especially in rural communities — driving is not optional. It is essential. People must travel miles to reach their workplaces, schools, farms and hospitals. Truckers who deliver our goods, farmers who feed our nation and small business owners who keep local economies alive are absorbing higher fuel costs every day. Those costs do not disappear — they are passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for food, materials and services.

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March 23, 1775 - Patrick Henry ignited the American Revolution with a speech before the Virginia convention in Richmond, stating, "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"

March 23, 1775 - Patrick Henry gave his famous speech at the Virginia Convention