Michigan’s Mike Rogers acknowledges high costs and promises to work with the president
by George Caldwell · The Washington TimesIn Michigan’s Senate race, Republican candidate Mike Rogers acknowledges that prices are high, but says the state should elect a senator who can work with the president to bring them down.
On Saturday, asked about record-high diesel prices at an event in Taylor, Michigan, Mr. Rogers said he thinks the administration is working to end the war with Iran soon.
He noted that he has called for a suspension of the federal gas tax, which is 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel.
Mr. Rogers suggested that it is most important to adopt pro-energy policies that will drive down prices after hostilities conclude.
“What we’ve said is, let’s make sure that we’re ready to go, that we [are] unleashing American energy so that costs can come down very quickly,” he told reporters.
“I know the president is working on that. The regulatory framework is starting to go back, which means we can get more oil into the market, which means prices come down as soon as the war is over.”
The national average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is nearly $1.30 higher than it was a year ago, per AAA.
However, it is more than 50 cents lower than the record high of $5.01 set in June 2022.
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Meanwhile, diesel has never cost more, with AAA reporting a record-high $6.49 average on Saturday.
Energy prices will likely remain above pre-war levels as voters make their decisions in high-stakes races.
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate, has made energy prices part of his pitch to voters.
“Mike — it’s not taxes that are spiking our prices, it’s the insane war your boss Donald Trump got us into,” he wrote on social media in response to Mr. Rogers’ call for suspending the gas tax.
Mr. Rogers is also seeking Michiganders’ votes as the United States and Canada have levied retaliatory tariffs on each other’s goods.
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Other Republican Senate candidates in northern border states, such as Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and John Sununu in New Hampshire, oppose the president’s trade policies.
Mr. Rogers told reporters Saturday that he evaluates tariffs on a case-by-case basis, arguing tariffs benefit Michigan’s cherry farmers and auto manufacturers.
“If it’s a tariff that’s bad for Michigan, I’m going to be against it, and if it’s a tariff that’s good for Michigan, I’m going to be for it,” he said, adding that as a senator he would work directly with the president.
“My opponent, all he wants to do is fight with Trump,” said Mr. Rogers. “That will not solve a problem here in Michigan.”
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George Caldwell
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