Sanders says he won't back bipartisan infrastructure bill if it includes higher gas tax, electric vehicle fee

published 20 June 2021

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday that an infrastructure proposal being developed by a bipartisan group of senators "provides spending in some very important areas — roads, bridges, water systems." That's a good thing, he said, before quickly acknowledging that he still has two major concerns about the plan.

The senator said the amount of "new" money (that is, money that's not taken from surplus COVID-19 relief funds) the group is willing to spend as of now is "not adequate," and subsequently, he's also concerned about how the bipartisan group is aiming to pay for the infrastructure improvements.

The details haven't been released and are apparently in flux, but Sanders addressed some of the whispers that are out there, including raising gas taxes or an electric vehicle users' fee. "Those to my mind are bad ideas," he told Bash. In a separate interview, Sanders told NBC News' Chuck Todd that he would not support those proposals if they are ultimately included. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) had previously dismissed the idea that she and her colleagues would raise gas taxes, but she did say an electric vehicle fee was a possibility.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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