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Leaders in the Illinois government have put blame on the Trump
Administration and the ongoing military conflict between the
U.S.and Iran, but have not committed to taking any action to
ease the burden for consumers.
The average cost of a gallon of unleaded in the state was nearly
$4.21 on Tuesday, up $1.21 compared to a month ago, according to
data from AAA. The state has also maintained an average cost
above the national average nearly every day since the conflict
began on Feb. 28.
When asked if there was anything he was considering to ease the
burden for Illinoisans early Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he
is looking into ways of doing so, though he did not commit to
any specific plans.
State Rep. Jed Davis, R-Yorkville, called on Democrats to
address the issue last week, saying lawmakers should suspend the
state’s fuel tax for a 60-day period.
Pritzker mentioned a previous time the legislature suspended the
state’s fuel tax, but said the state also has heightened needs
to consider that the tax supports.
“So it's a challenging endeavor because of the infrastructure
needs of the state, but I look for all of those ways that we can
reduce costs for people,” Pritzker said. “There are a number of
ways that input costs are rising aside from just oil and gas
that we're trying to bring down in the state.”
The Illinois motor fuel tax rate is 48 cents a gallon, the
second highest in the nation behind California.
The tax, which is used exclusively to fund maintenance and
construction of in-state transportation, brought in $3 billion
in revenue in 2025, according to the Illinois Comptroller’s
office.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul addressed the jump in fuel
costs Monday in a joint press conference with California’s
attorney general. He said the global increase in the cost of oil
is due to actions taken by Trump and there is not much the state
can do.
“I don't know that there's much we can do from a state
standpoint to impact what's happening as a result of the
president's action again without consultation with Congress,”
Raoul said.
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