--- title: "Michigan Senate Candidates Call for Gas Tax Suspension Amid High Prices" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/michigan-senate-candidates-call-for-gas-tax-suspension-amid-high-prices" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/michigan-senate-candidates-call-for-gas-tax-suspension-amid-high-prices" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/michigan-senate-candidates-call-for-gas-tax-suspension-amid-high-prices.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/michigan-senate-candidates-call-for-gas-tax-suspension-amid-high-prices" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-18T20:46:22.366Z" source_reported: "2026-09-18T15:19:30.942Z" updated: "2026-09-18T20:46:22.366Z" trust_score: 50 critic_score: 60 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-18T20:30:28.267130+00:00" --- # Michigan Senate Candidates Call for Gas Tax Suspension Amid High Prices *Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed both support pausing state and federal gas taxes.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 50 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named individuals; two independent outlets cited; figures given with origin. - Craft 60 of 100, higher is better. Reporting includes quotes from affected individuals and names specific figures, dates, and places. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Language is measured and proportionate, with headlines accurately reflecting the article content. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Republican US Senate candidate Mike Rogers called for suspending state and federal gas taxes. - Democratic rival Abdul El-Sayed also supports a gas tax holiday. - Michigan gas prices averaged $4.75 per gallon as of Thursday, the 10th highest in the US. - Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall warned that suspending the state gas tax could jeopardize the state budget and a road repair deal. Republican US Senate candidate Mike Rogers has called for a suspension of both state and federal gas taxes as fuel prices rise. Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed also stated his support for a gas tax holiday. As of Thursday, the average price for a gallon of gas in Michigan was $4.75, making it the 10th highest in the country. ## Disagreement on Price Causes and Tax Impact While Rogers called for a tax pause to alleviate costs for working families, El-Sayed stated that taxes are not the cause of recent price spikes. Rogers also criticized recent state-level changes to gas taxes, characterizing them as a hike. However, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican, warned that suspending the state gas tax could jeopardize the state budget and a bipartisan deal for road repairs. Hall stated that the state gas tax is 52.4 cents per gallon. The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon and has not been changed since 1993. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mentioned any specific cost estimates for suspending the state or federal gas tax, or any proposals for backfilling the lost revenue for road repairs. The full report from Bridge Michigan stated that Rogers' campaign did not immediately respond to follow-up questions on these details. ## Who covered it Shares of the 9 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 67% (6) - Centre: 33% (3) - Right: 0% (0) 2 of 11 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-18T20:30:28.267130+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-18T21:15:41.719Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Five left-rated reports covered the call for a gas tax suspension. Bridge Michigan, Michigan Advance, Michigan Public, Detroit Metro Times, and USA Today all reported that both Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed support pausing state and federal gas taxes. Bridge Michigan noted that Rogers called for the suspension amid rising prices and that El-Sayed attributed price spikes to conflict rather than taxes. Bridge Michigan also reported that Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall warned against suspending the state gas tax, citing potential budget and road repair deal jeopardies. The Detroit Metro Times headline stated Rogers called for a suspension after voting for a tax hike and saying suspensions may not lower prices. Michigan Public reported that state and federal gas taxes add about 70 cents a gallon to the cost of gas in Michigan. ### Centre - Two centre-rated reports covered the story. WTVB and The Hill reported that both US Senate candidates, Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed, called for a pause on state and federal gas taxes due to high prices. The Hill noted Rogers' call was to provide relief to working families. WTVB's report mentioned gas prices hitting $5 a gallon in many Michigan spots. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 6 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Michigan Advance](https://michiganadvance.com/2026/09/18/michigan-us-senate-candidates-call-for-suspending-state-and-federal-gas-taxes) — Michigan US Senate candidates call for suspending state and federal gas taxes - [WTVB](https://wtvbam.com/2026/09/18/971317) — U.S. Senate candidates: Pause gas tax - [Detroit Metro Times](https://metrotimes.com/news/mike-rogers-calls-for-gas-tax-suspension-after-voting-for-tax-hike-and-saying-suspensions-may-not-lower-prices) — Mike Rogers calls for gas tax suspension after voting for tax hike and saying suspensions may not lower prices - [Michigan Public](https://michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-09-17/michigan-us-senate-candidates-call-for-suspending-state-and-federal-gas-taxes) — Michigan US Senate candidates call for suspending state and federal gas taxes - [Bridge Michigan](https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/mike-rogers-calls-for-gas-tax-pause-its-a-no-go-says-state-gop-leader) — Mike Rogers calls for gas tax pause. It’s a no-go, says state GOP leader - [Cryptocurrency News | Cryptocurrency Prices | Market Cap](https://cryptocurrency.com.tr/rogers-proposes-suspending-federal-state-gas-taxes-in-michigan-senate-race-381598) — Rogers proposes suspending federal, state gas taxes in Michigan Senate race - [Crypto Briefing](https://cryptobriefing.com/rogers-proposes-suspending-federal-state-gas-taxes-in-michigan-senate-race) — Rogers proposes suspending federal, state gas taxes in Michigan Senate race - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6096459-mike-rogers-gas-tax-suspension) — Rogers, El-Sayed call for suspension of federal, Michigan gas taxes - [USA Today](https://usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/09/17/mike-rogers-us-michigan-suspend-gas-tax-high-gas-prices/91811132007) — Rogers, El-Sayed both support gas tax holiday with fuel near $5 a gallon - [Detroit Free Press](https://freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/09/17/mike-rogers-us-michigan-suspend-gas-tax-high-gas-prices/91811132007) — Rogers, El-Sayed both support gas tax holiday with fuel near $5 a gallon - [The Detroit News](https://detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/09/17/mike-rogers-state-federal-gas-tax-holiday/91809123007) — Mike Rogers calls for suspending state, federal gas taxes ## Questions **What did Mike Rogers propose regarding gas taxes?** Republican US Senate candidate Mike Rogers called for a suspension of both state and federal gas taxes. He stated that working families need leaders who will bring down energy costs, not make life less affordable. **What is the current average gas price in Michigan?** As of Thursday, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Michigan was $4.75. This price made Michigan's average the 10th highest in the country. **What are the potential consequences of suspending the state gas tax?** Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall warned that suspending the state gas tax could jeopardize the state budget and a bipartisan deal for road repairs. He indicated that significant budget changes would be necessary. **Do both Michigan Senate candidates agree on the cause of high gas prices?** No, they do not. Republican Mike Rogers called for a gas tax suspension to provide relief. Democratic rival Abdul El-Sayed stated that taxes are not causing recent price spikes and attributed them to conflict. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/michigan-senate-candidates-call-for-gas-tax-suspension-amid-high-prices. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Michigan Senate Candidates Call for Gas Tax Suspension Amid High Prices", https://mediabias.news/politics/michigan-senate-candidates-call-for-gas-tax-suspension-amid-high-prices